Just Like You
by FireStorm1991
Summary: Abeline, or Abby to her friends, is in love with the ocean and protecting all of its creatures. With her powers, she's able to do more than enough. But what happens when one "spirit detective" finds out about her? Hiei X OC Rated T for language.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own YYH or the characters. Just my OC, Abeline.

Warning: Lots and lots of cursing XD Plus, this first chapter is very OC heavy. It will all add up later.

This is a re-write of the first chapter, since I was in Super Bowl Mode and did a lot of cursing XD

Okay, so as most of my usual readers know, I'm in love with the ocean, especially dolphins; and I just watched Dolphin Tale yesterday and the marine biologist in me wants to combine YYH with some type of dolphin story, so here it is. And yes, it's a Hiei X OC story, so you can only imagine how our favorite fire demon reacts to an ocean lover 3 XD Enjoy!

By the way, it's Super Bowl Sunday and I have one thing to say…GO GIANTS! XD That's how we do it!

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><p>Today had started out as any other day. Everything was fine. I had my family, my friends, and my favorite job. Then by meeting one guy, my life got shot to hell. Who would have thought that I would be brought down by someone who would eventually be my true love? Not that I believe in that gobble-de-gook. I would use a different word, but my little brother is sitting right next to me.<p>

My name is Abeline Doyl, by the way. I have straight, black hair and violet eyes. I'm a college sophomore, nineteen years old, studying marine biology. I work as a life guard, but I also work at a marine rescue center in my spare time. I still live with my parents, but more for the reason that they don't want to lose their little girl (spare me). I don't have that many friends, but that's mostly because the friends I do have are a lot like me. We all work at the rescue center, which is highly needed considering that there are no laws here protecting any of the marine animals.

I'll admit, I'm an American, well Japanese-American. We moved to my mother's homeland when I was thirteen. I was fine with it; that meant getting away from all the middle school and high school drama that I hated. I liked the structured school system of Japan better, though most people hated me because of it. Whatever, I never really cared about anyone's opinion.

Did I miss America? Sure, not often, but sure. Did I miss the few friends I had there? Not really. They never understood my connection with the sea. Just like they didn't understand why I hated my home life so much. Do I trust anyone? Just my little brother, but he's ten.

I bet you're wondering why I'm going on so many random tangents, right? Well, the true reason is that everything comes into play today of all days. It's really true what they say: One day could truly change your life.

Here's where it begins…

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><p>It started out like any other day. I got up for school, grabbed a shower, got dressed, put my hair up, light makeup…you know, the usual for me. Making my way downstairs, I grabbed my knapsack with my books for today's class and my uniform for the rescue center. My family was already at the table eating; well, my mother was cooking, my dad and brother were eating.<p>

I marched over to my brother and planted a big kiss on his forehead.

"Abby, don't do that," he said, while laughing and wiping my kiss away.

I gasped and put my hand over my heart, feigning hurt. "Ah, Sorin, that hurt."

Sorin chuckled. "You'll get over it."

I ruffled his hair before grabbing an apple and sitting down. Like my father, I was a vegetarian and didn't want what mom was cooking.

"What's new?" I asked like I did every morning. Dad always was reading the paper when I came down.

He smiled at me. "Not much, today, Sea Biscuit," he replied using his nickname for me. I giggled.

Dad and I were very close, even when I was younger. Something had happened to me and even though I never told him what had happened, he knew that I always felt better protecting the little critters of the ocean, especially dolphins. Mom, on the other hand, didn't like my career choices. But hey, it was this or probably bumming it out on the street in a gang. Whenever I said that to her she'd slap me across the face, and demand respect. I never told dad and she never did it around him or Sorin. I just worked out my anger my own way, helping dolphins and getting in trouble with fishery owners.

Speaking of which, after getting bitched out my mother again I finally left for class. I always sat in the front; I was studious and loved being front and center. It was the best seat in the house.

"Abeline!" _Oh great, _I thought. Tsuki was in class today, meaning I'd have some trouble. Yes, he was the biggest heartthrob of the university. To me, he was just another creep, him and his father.

"Hey, I'm talking to you!" he yelled causing everyone to stare at us. He was angry and I smirked. It was fun pissing him and his father off. Especially when the jerk told everyone we were going out. Ha, in his dreams.

I looked up at him defiantly, but I didn't move. I stayed seated and that irritated him. It always made him feel like I didn't take him seriously when I didn't fight him "eye to eye," as he put it.

"What could you possibly want from me?" I asked smoothly. That only infuriated him more.

"Because, you bitch," he started (not the best way to get my attention, mind you), "I'm grounded and do you want to know why?"

I rolled my eyes. "Why the hell would I care about your worthless problems?"

"Because he grounded me because my 'girlfriend' ratted him out to the police," he snarled.

"Well, he wouldn't think I was your girlfriend if you didn't spread that bull shit rumor," I replied. It was true. "Besides, I wouldn't have had to bring the cops into it if he just let that dolphin go. I don't care if it hurts your fishery's business. There may not be many laws for those animals to be protected, but no one is supposed to purposely hurt them. Your bastard father tried to fin a dolphin!"

"Be quiet, you stupid bitch," he whispered. Great, now he didn't want to be heard. He tried to cover my mouth, but I caught his wrist.

"Do not," I said calmly, slowly, and darkly, "put your filthy hands on me. You have no right to lay a finger on me. Let's get something straight; I hate you and you hate me. Deal with it; get over it; and move the fuck on. If you want your dad to stop getting pissed at you for me reporting him, then I suggest you tell him the truth. I would never go out with an asshole like you that doesn't care about life."

He glared at me and I could tell that I cut his pride way too deep. Good, he deserves it. "You listen here, tramp. I will make your tree-hugging, veggie eating life a living hell if you keep trying to ruin us. Understand?"

I scoffed. This jerk didn't scare me. "You make it sound like a threat. To me it sounds like you're just steam blowing. Do your worst, but I won't stop. You will never understand. We may be taking the same marine biology class, but for completely different reasons. I'm trying to save the ocean; you're trying to exploit it. As far as I'm concerned, I am better than you."

That was true too. I did feel that way, but I normally kept it to myself. If he had just left me alone today, things would have been easier. Well, this wasn't the last time we'd see each other today…unfortunately.

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><p>I bolted from the classroom after class ended. I unlocked my bike from the bike rack and made my way over to the rescue hospital.<p>

"Hey, Abby," my friend Tai greeted. He and I became friends as soon as I moved here. He's also the one who got me the job.

"Hey, Tai," I responded. "Any new admittees?"

"Thankfully, no. Just that dolphin you saved the other day. I don't know how you did it."

I smirked thinking back to that day.

"_Alright, let's end this thing before anyone finds out it got caught. That little twit my son is seeing always has a way of showing up."_

Damn straight, _I thought. I was ready to show myself from my hiding spot, but froze up when he took out a knife._

_It looked like he was about to fin that poor dolphin. Well, I wasn't about to let that happen. I glared and focused my angry energy. Truth is I have a secret. I can focus my energy to form a bow and arrow. I don't really know how it happened, but I'll tell you when it happened a little later._

_Anyway, I shot my arrow at the net and before that bastard could do anything, the little dolphin fell into the water._

"_What the hell do you think you're doing?" I asked, finally revealing myself._

_The men were already confused at the fact that the dolphin was back in the water. Seeing me just freaked them out more._

"_W-when did you get here?" Tsuki's dad asked._

"_Does it really matter?" I asked in disbelief. Who the hell cared when I got there? The point was, I was there and I wasn't leaving. No one was._

"_What are you doing?" one of the workers asked when I took out my waterproof cell phone._

"_I was thinking about ordering a pizza," I said in a sickeningly sweet voice. Then I narrowed my eyes at him. "What the hell do you think I'm doing? I'm calling the cops."_

"_You wouldn't dare," Tsuki's dad said dangerously. Seriously, what was with this family always freaking threatening me?_

"_Get her!" I heard him yell. _Uh oh, _I thought sarcastically._

_I managed to dodge every punch his workers threw my way, and I kneed enough of them in the gut. I call that a pretty productive day. Well, it was time to make it even more productive._

"_Yeah, Officer Lynn, it's Abby again," I said into the phone. "The Hook Fishery's men were at it again. Yup, I'll wait right here."_

_Officer Lynn came quickly. She was on my side when it came to these things. I actually saw her as more of a mother than my own. "Abby, I already sent words to your friends and they're bringing the rescue truck."_

"_Thanks a bunch," I replied happily._

"_This isn't over!" I heard Tsuki's dad scream as he and his few helpers were taken away in the cop car._

"Yes, a very good day," I sighed dreamily.

Tai couldn't help but laugh. "You are something, Abeline Doyl. No wonder you get along with me and my sister."

Tai's sister was a really nice girl, Airi. She was naïve and I was kind of glad that I was here to help them. Tai wasn't a fighter; and Airi was too nice to take down those creeps like I did. If you couldn't tell, I have a lot of pride.

"Hey, you two, you're here early," our boss greeted.

"Hey, Harumi," Tai waved. When she winked at him, he blushed. I couldn't help but laugh. He was so into her and yet was too nervous to say anything. I shook my head. _Boys._

"Anyway, I'm glad you're here. I got a call from someone on the beach about another dolphin in trouble. Will you two go check it out?"

"Aye, aye, boss," I said saluting.

Harumi laughed and shook her head. "I am so glad Tai brought you into our little family, Abby. I love your spirit and dedication."

Now I blushed. Even though I had a lot of pride, it was strange that I couldn't take a compliment.

"Thank you," I muttered, making my two friends laugh. "Let's just go," I said defensively while trying to regain my composure.

* * *

><p>Tai drove the dune buggy and I rubbed my hand through my hair. I was thinking about the information Harumi gave us. I really hoped we wouldn't be too late.<p>

When we got to the sector, a little girl ran up to me. She looked really familiar.

"Abby," she said with tears in her eyes. Now I remembered. She was Sorin's closest friend, Mariko.

"Hey, Mariko, what's wrong?"

The little girl pointed out into the surf. Tsuki and his gang were beating on a dolphin.

_For fuck's sake!_ I shouted in my mind, so as not to taint the little one next to me. I looked up to Tai. "I'll be right back."

I ran into the surf. Tsuki grinned sadistically at me and kicked the dolphin. The word rage did not even begin to describe how I felt. I could feel my energy threatening to shoot out. I knew they wouldn't be able to see it, because no one ever did, but I didn't want to kill them. Well, I shouldn't want to kill them.

When the other guys saw me, they freaked. They knew I could kick ass and that I wasn't afraid to humiliate them in front of everyone on the beach. They ran off, in fear of getting beat and in trouble for animal cruelty. Tsuki called them "cowards" and then got ready to deliver another blow. I charged at him and grabbed him from behind. With all the power I possessed, I force him away from the wounded creature.

"How dare you?" he shouted. He charged at me, but I managed to flip him over. He got a small cut, nothing that could ever get me in trouble, mind you. "I'll get you for this."

I shrugged off his threat. He started running back to the ocean and I decided, just this once, to give into my anger. I raised my arms into position of my bow and arrow and send a weak jolt his way. I hit him in the leg as he ran and he stumbled forward. I glared at him as he got back up and struggled to limp away against the waves. He probably thought it was a jellyfish or something.

I swam over to the dolphin and kept its head afloat so it could breathe. Its eyes focused on mine and it gave me a few clicks and whistles.

"It's alright, buddy," I said soothingly stroking him or her (hadn't gotten the chance to check yet). I hoped that Tai would get out here soon so that we could get the dolphin out of the water before the blood attracted sharks.

Tai was on the phone, probably calling for backup, because we wouldn't be able to get this dolphin back without a pool. Until then, we just had to wait. Tai gave me a signal from shore asking if I was okay, and I gave him my response.

While I treaded to keep me and the dolphin afloat, I saw someone I didn't know watching me from the pier. He was kind of short, though maybe only an inch shorter than me, had black hair, and was wearing a black cloak (weird considering it was nearly seventy degrees out). I gave him a "what the hell are you looking at" face and before I knew it he disappeared. I didn't know why, but I felt like I'd be seeing him again real soon.

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><p>AN: Hahaha, my laughter is for the Giants victory X3 Anyway, I hope this chapter caught everyone's interest. Thanks for reading; please review :D Also, I hope no one is insulted that the main character is a vegetarian. I am not a vegetarian, but I make sure I do my part for the environment, so I was not insulting carnivores like me :3


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own YYH or the characters. Just my OCs

Warning: Cursing, though I'm gonna try to tone it down a little. I wanted to emphasize Abeline's angsty personality last chapter XD I'll probably go back and edit it one day so it's not so heavy with the cursing. Right now, I'm going to leave it XD

Thank you to those who added this story to favorites and alerts. You all rock! XD

And on with the story…

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><p>Now I can already say what everyone is thinking. Hm, who was the strange guy watching me from the pier? What did he want? And what does any of this have to do with how my life changed or how I was introduced to my true love? Well, I'll tell you. That mysterious stranger was the catalyst to the change.<p>

I had gone home after we got the dolphin into our mini hospital. I spent hours there helping treat the wounds and making sure she ate. I felt bad that a guy who hated me did this to spite me. That dolphin was just an innocent bystander. When I got home, however, I had to deal with even more drama.

"What did you do?" my mother shouted at me as I walked through the door. "Mr. Hakeshi called and told me that you were causing trouble at his fishery today…AGAIN! What is your problem?"

I sighed in aggravation. This is how it always was. "What is MY problem?" I yelled. "Maybe MY problem is that HE'S a mental son of a-"

"Don't you dare," my mother interrupted. "I will not tolerate my daughter talking like an uncultured tramp."

"Oh please," I replied. "Just because I'm not a 'cultured' lady like you wanted me to be doesn't mean I'm a tramp. Dad doesn't care what I do or say."

"Do NOT bring your father into this!" mother snapped. I just rolled my eyes. "And don't you dare roll your eyes at me. You will show me respect."

"No!" I growled. "You don't show me any, so why should I return the gesture."

"You know, you are an ungrateful little brat," she retorted. "You are going to go apologize to our neighbors this instant. I will not have my daughter make me look like a fool."

"I will not apologize to those jerks. You have no idea what they did! They-"

"I don't want to hear it. Go to your room until you are ready to behave."

"You know what," I said with a dry laugh. "That's fine by me."

I started walking away and then my mother pushed me too far. "You are grounded until further notice and you will quit your job at the hospital."

My eyes were filled with hatred. I could feel the heat from them boring into my mother. "I am NOT quitting the only thing I'm good at and that matters to me. You just don't understand. I hate you!"

I ran up the stairs as my mother called out, "The feeling's mutual!"

I slammed my door and that was the last time I'd see her until tomorrow.

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><p>I was angered by her dismissal of my "hobbies" as she would call them, but I guess I couldn't blame her. Neither my mother nor my father knew the real reason I felt so indebted to the ocean. Sorin kind of knew, but he was too young for me to tell him the real story.<p>

It happened when we lived in America, right before we moved actually, six years ago. Sorin was four at the time. He wasn't as hurt as I was when my parents told us we'd be moving. It wasn't the fact that we were moving, exactly, since I couldn't wait to go to Japan (I had always wanted to go when I was younger); but it was because my parents were trying to escape the tragic deaths a few of their relatives.

I didn't handle their deaths too well either; and one night mother and I got into a fight, quite like the one we had today. It was the first day she hit me, the first day she stopped acting like my mother. I was distraught, so I decided to run away. After packing a backpack, I climbed out my window and left. I didn't intend on coming back home.

When I finally stopped running, I ended up at the beach on a pier staring out into the sea with tears in my eyes. Needless to say I wasn't paying much attention to what I was doing. I leaned over too far and ended up falling down into the deep, rough waters. I called out and screamed for help, but there was no one around to hear my calls. The waves kept forcing me under and I was swallowing a lot of water. Then, somehow, I was hanging onto something and being pushed back to the shallower waters.

It was so unreal and I thought I was dreaming, or possibly dead. Nothing was visible and I couldn't even see my savior. It was when we got to a part where I could actually stand that I found out what had happened.

My rescuer was a dolphin; I couldn't believe it.

"Why did you help me?" I asked it, even though I was sure I'd never get my answer. The dolphin just squealed at me and motioned towards the shore. I looked back to the shore hesitantly, then back to the dolphin who started splashing me. It was the first time I laughed in over a week.

I smiled and waved goodbye to the dolphin who seemed to wave back (if that was even possible) and I carefully made my way to the shore. When I was finally on land, I looked back. The dolphin was still watching me. I heard it cry out before leaving. It had waited for me to get back to shore before leaving.

That was why I decided to dedicate my life to helping all marine life. Anytime I focused on the ocean, whether watching a movie or reading a book, I felt better. I could deal with my mom's attitude on a day to day basis and I felt confident with everything I did. I may not have been a lady in the sense my mom wanted me to be, but at least I was confident and comfortable in who I was.

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><p>As I said, I entered my room and slammed the door. Then I turned around and saw the same guy from the pier standing between my open window and me. I screamed and fell back into the door.<p>

"Who the hell are you and how did you get into my room?" I asked nervously.

"Hn, I don't want to be here," he said in a bored voice, "but my…comrades…need to speak with you about the power I saw you use today."

"W-what?" I glared at him then. "Why should I go anywhere with you? How do I know that you or your 'comrades' aren't planning on doing away with me? No one has ever seen my powers before, so why can you?"

"Hn," he responded. He got up to the window and knelt on the frame. He looked back at me. "Do what you want. I couldn't care less. If you're so worried, then this was a mistake anyway."

He shot out the window and I ran to the window and called out "wait." I looked down to the ground and didn't see him.

"Yes?" I looked out in front of me at a tree and found him staring at me, inches away from my face.

I yelped and fell backwards onto my floor. He was on my windowsill again in an instant.

"Walk much?" he taunted. I sent him another hateful glare.

"Oh shut up," I muttered. "Well, after seeing that, I guess if you wanted to kill me, you would have by now."

"Hn."

"So, the question is…how are we getting out of here without my mother seeing us?" I wondered.

"Hn." Well, this guy was a talker.

A few seconds later, I got my answer when I was hoisted into the air and flying out the window. When the guy touched the ground, he dropped me on my ass and started walking away as if nothing had happened. I just stared on in shock. He sighed and then tilted his head back a bit.

"You coming?" He sounded bored and insulting, and I honestly didn't know how to react. I finally moved from my spot and went over to him. When I attempted to punch him in his back, he disappeared and I nearly fell over. Then I felt him behind me holding a blade to my neck.

"I highly suggest you don't try that again, human," he said with hate.

"Uh…sure?" He took the blade away from my neck and started running.

"Hey, slow down!" I shouted. I had no idea how he could move so fast…or jump out of my bedroom window three floors up without getting us killed. I did the only thing I could do.

I grabbed my bike and prayed that I could catch him.

We ended up at the beach, where I couldn't really ride my bike, so I hooked it up to a bike rack. When I turned around, the guy was standing really close behind me, looking highly amused.

"What's your problem?" I growled.

He let out a small, demeaning laugh. "Nothing," he said. "I just forgot how slow humans could be."

That was it. "Who the hell are you calling a human? Last time I checked, you were too."

He rolled his eyes, but then smirked at me. "If that were true, I'd probably kill myself."

He started walking somewhere on the beach.

"What's your name?" I asked. I don't know why I wanted to know, but I felt like I needed to know.

"Hn." He walked off. Man, this guy was one bag of crazy mixed with some anger and attitude problems, not that I was much better.

* * *

><p>I followed him out onto the sand and we stopped in front of the ocean. He seemed to be studying it as if he had never seen it before. Maybe he hadn't. I didn't realized that I was staring at him until he looked over at me and stared at me, then back out to the ocean. It was awkward and I wondered what this guy wanted.<p>

"Haven't you seen the ocean before?" I asked, not stopping the words from coming out of my mouth. Well, I got my answer.

"No."

"Really?" I asked. Then I smiled. "You don't know what you're missing."

He scoffed. "It's pointless. Other than a tool to get sustenance, it seems that there is nothing important about it." He didn't see my fist coming.

I was met with a hateful glare and saw his hand on the hilt of his sword. "I thought we agreed you wouldn't try something so foolish again."

"Never, NEVER, talk bad about the about the beauty in front of us, at least not in front of me. Jeez, it's people like that I hate. That's the reason that people like me exist. I mean, who else would take care of the animals that live there if everyone just thinks it's a waste. Well, I don't need to stand here and listen to you. Either tell me why I'm here or I'm leaving." He said nothing. I turned and angrily started walking off.

I could feel his eyes on me, probably another glare. Little to my knowledge, he was staring at me in shock.

"Wait." I heard it. It was quiet, almost a grumbled whisper, but I heard it.

"Yeah?" I pressed. If he was going to apologize, he was going to do it the right way.

"Stay. My comrades will be here any minute and you'll have your questions answered."

"I told you, I'm not staying here with you," I spat bitterly. I notice him cringe before he turned away. I could have sworn I could see the sadness in his eyes. Later I would learn why my words affected him so strongly, but for now I decided to make him feel worse. "What? Can't take that a girl doesn't want to be in your presence?"

"Stop," he whispered. It sounded like he was now forcing words out. I didn't understand why he was getting so upset.

"Look, I don't care why you seem so upset by me waving you off, but you deserve it. You're a jerk and it's obvious you don't give a damn about anyone. Maybe I WOULD have been a little nicer to you if you hadn't insulted me or said something so disrespectful about the only thing in this world that had ever given me comfort."

"I…" he choked out.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHH!" they heard a scream. "Urameshi, help!"

The two looked out into the ocean where a boy was struggling to swim.

"Idiot," I heard the guy mumble.

"Be nice!" I ordered forcefully. The guy just looked at me like I was nuts.

"That moron is always getting himself into trouble. I've seen him swim before, so the fact that he's struggling right now is his own fault and not because he can't handle himself."

He called after me when I started running into the waves, taking off my uniform (good thing I had a bathing suit on). It was not the guy's fault he couldn't swim today. The waves were really rough. Only someone who hadn't watched the weather or new channels would have known today wasn't the safest day to go out.

I reached the guy and got him back to the shore where another black haired boy was cracking up.

"Yusuke, you shouldn't laugh at him," a red haired guy stated.

"That's right," I said. "It was a common mistake. Today the waves are rough and it's not all that safe to go swimming unless you've been doing it a long time. You okay?"

"Yeah, thanks," the orange haired guy replied. "I'm Kazuma Kuwabara, by the way. My friends call me Kuwabara."

"Nice to meet you," I stated. "I'm Abeline Doyl."

"I'm Yusuke," the black haired kid greeted. "Yusuke Urameshi."

I rolled my eyes. "Whatever."

I could tell he didn't really like that answer and moved a little closer to me, but the red haired guy grabbed his shoulder, stopping him.

"I'm Shuichi Minamino, but these guys call me Kurama. I'll explain why another time."

"Okay?" I said unsure.

"So, where's Hiei?" Yusuke asked.

"Who?" I questioned.

"Hn. Right here, detective."

I turned and saw the guy from earlier standing behind me with his arms crossed, his face carrying that same scowl from earlier. I caught myself wondering where the emotional guy from before went.

"Well, then, now we can talk," Kurama stated.

We all sat down on the beach in a circle. Kuwabara was sitting next to me on my right side; Yusuke was on my left; Kurama was sitting across from me next to Kuwabara; and Hiei was sitting across from me next to Yusuke. It may not seem important, but I could always tell things about people from random things they chose, like where to sit or what to eat.

Kuwabara, I knew I could get along with. He was sitting next to me because he felt slightly safer. Yusuke was sitting next to me to prevent Hiei from sitting next to me, though I'm not sure why; plus, it was important for me to be facing Kurama as he was obvious the most intelligent one and would be doing most of the talking. Hiei hates Kuwabara, which is why he was keeping his distance, but also had high respect for Kurama, which is why he didn't seem to mind sitting next to him.

You're probably thinking, hey cool, you can read minds. Believe me, I can't…I've tried.

"So, I'm sure you're wondering why we're here," Kurama stated.

Now, I could have either been the curious, delusional girl or the pissed off, sarcastic one. Which do you think I chose?

"No, I'm not wondering how a guy got into my room through a window on the third floor of a four floored house, or how he got us both out through the window without killing us, or why he keeps calling me human. So if you don't mind, let's just cut to the chase. Why are you here and who exactly are you?"

Everyone looked at me curiously except for Hiei who was glaring daggers at me.

"Well, alright then. We were going to ease you into it…" Kurama mentioned.

"I don't need to be coddled. Just telling me, already."

"Well, the short version is Yusuke is a spirit detective, or was one, for Spirit World. He found out a few years ago that he was part demon. Hiei and I are demons. Kuwabara has spiritual awareness and can focus his energy into forming a sword. Hiei saw you materialize your energy into a bow yesterday. The energy is slightly different from Kuwabara's in the sense that no mere human can see it. They need to be spiritually aware or a demon to see it. Is that short enough for you?"

"Yeah," I said, not really caring. "So, you saw my power and told these guys?" Hiei nodded. "Well, then my only questions are one, are you going to tell; and two, are you planning on killing me, because if you are, please wait until like the end of the month so I can make sure the two dolphins I saved this week can be safely sent back into the wild."

To say that everyone was in shock was an understatement.

"Why would you think…how could you..?" Yusuke couldn't form a single question.

"You think we want to kill you?" Kuwabara asked. I shrugged.

"You have it all wrong," Kurama stated. I could hear some worry shining through his calm demeanor. "We don't plan to kill you or tell anyone. We only want to help you."

I scoffed. "Help me? Yeah right. No one does stuff like this unless they have something to gain. What's in it for you?"

"Other than having a new teammate and making sure your powers don't kill you, I'd say that's about it."

"Kill me?" I asked.

"When powers like this are left unchecked, the results can be either good or bad," Kurama explained. Well that wasn't contradictory. "We just want to help make sure you can control it."

"What's the catch?"

"We go to my teacher at least once a week to train," Yusuke stated, finally able to speak.

"When?"

"This weekend," Kurama answered.

"I have off Sunday," I told them. "I won't go on Saturday."

"Alright," Kurama responded. "Sunday it is."

"I'm leaving." I got up and started walking away from the group that probably all thought I was bipolar. I probably was, but still.

* * *

><p>I heard someone following me and turned to see Hiei. He stopped walking and seemed to be studying me. I turned away from him and kept walking.<p>

"Why?" he asked after a few moments of awkward silence.

"Why what?"

"Why didn't you seem scared or upset when you talked about us killing you?"

I sighed and stopped walking. I looked out into the ocean and Hiei did the same.

"I almost died before," I stated, shocking the demon next to me. "I got my powers soon after. I was upset and running away from home, and I ended up in really rough seas. A dolphin, believe it or not, saved my life, so I decided I was going to save theirs."

"Then why would you want to die?"

"I don't but it wouldn't have mattered if you guys were trying to kill me."

"Why would you say that?" he asked sounding bored, although I could tell that he was curious.

"Because no one would care."

Hiei looked at me, but I didn't meet his gaze. "You can't tell me your family wouldn't care."

"My dad probably would, but he'd move on. My little brother would, but he's young so I would be a distant memory. My mother absolutely hates my guts. She's the reason…" I hesitated. "She's the reason I ran away."

I had never confessed this to anyone, but something felt different talking to this demon who threatened my life twice that day (strange, I know). Part of me felt like he understood, though I wasn't quite sure about that. Who knows, maybe he went through something similar to what I did. Much, MUCH later, I would find out the truth and I wouldn't find out until the worst possible second.

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><p>AN: Hey everyone, I hope you liked this chapter. Anyway, announcement time.

My poll is still up for the non-canon YYH couples. I really want to get an idea of which one to write for, so let me know what you think.

Also, I had an awesome idea. When I was in middle school, I wrote stories (well, scripts) for Yugioh. It was kind of like fanfiction, but I reread a lot of them recently and couldn't help but laugh. My writing has definitely come a long way since then and it's funny seeing how I used to spell Japanese names and all of the grammar problems…don't get me started. So I was thinking about posting them if only to amuse my readers. It would be a parody because it's really not serious writing XD So let me know if you guys are interested in seeing how I used to write :D


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I don't own YYH or the characters. Just my OCs.

I'm glad there are people enjoying this story. Just so everyone knows, if you see a mistake, let me know and tell me where you saw it so that I can go in and fix it. I'm a perfectionist and I'd like to keep my stories error free XD

Thanks to everyone who reviewed. I answered in a PM unless it's an anonymous name, like DARKNESS., who I will acknowledge here. I'm glad you liked the chapters. I haven't heard of you guys, but I appreciate the support. Thanks a bunch! :D

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><p>The next day, I was woken up by my little brother.<p>

"Abby, I wanna go to the park," he pled.

I sighed sleepily and rolled over to face him. "Okay, Sorin. Give me a half an hour and then we'll go, but we can only stay for about an hour, okay?"

"Okay!" he exclaimed happily leaving me to do my routine. I didn't have class today until later in the day and it was only like two classes. Sorin did, but at least once a month, he'd cut school for an hour and come hang out with me. His teacher knew as well as our father, but they understood. His friend Mariko was the only one he had that didn't make fun of him for his Japanese/Irish American background. Seriously, what was it with kids in elementary school finding the worst things to pick on?

I walked out of the bathroom in nothing but a towel and walked over to my dresser mirror. I removed the towel to dry my hair but when I looked into the mirror, I saw Hiei standing there in shock. I think it was the first time I ever saw him look horrified…you know, after knowing him for one day and all. But he could NOT have been more freaked out than I was. I quickly covered myself back up with the towel and glared at him.

"What the hell are you doing here?" I yelled in a whisper. I didn't need my parents to run in here and see me naked with a boy they didn't even know standing in my room.

"I…" he started nervously, eyes still wide.

"Oh get over it," I grumbled. "I bet I'm more mortified than you are." He still couldn't speak and I sighed. "Well, now that you're here and probably planning on stalking me all day, want to come with my brother and me to the park?"

"Um…" Oh for God's sake be a man and speak! "That's not why I came here." Well, there's a start.

I grabbed my clothes and went into the bathroom. I quickly changed and then came out and started putting on my makeup.

"Why do you wear that stuff?" I thought that was a strange question.

I looked over to him and shrugged. "Makes me feel good about my looks, I guess." Eh, why not be honest. It's not like he's going to tell anyone.

"Pointless," he said. I shot him a glare. "What? It's unnecessary. I don't see why human females have to wear that garbage. You should all just be confident about yourselves. That's what attracts men."

I laughed bitterly. "Maybe that's how it works for demons, but most (since I don't want to generalize here) guys would rather us girls improve our looks. I honestly don't care either way. I'm not interested in dating anyone any time soon. It's just to boost my own self-confidence."

"I still think it's pointless."

I shot him a glare. "Well, maybe you just don't get it. You don't know what it's like having a mother who hates you because you're not what she wants you to be." He faltered. "Why the hell do you get like that EVERY time I say something?"

"My mother didn't hate me," he stated. Good, my point got across. I turned back to touch myself up. But I thought I heard him whisper, "Her people did."

"Huh?" He said nothing. See, just my imagination. I finished up what I was doing and then turned to face him. "Are you coming or not?"

"Hn," he said shifting his eyes to the floor.

I scoffed. "I guess that's a yes. Okay, we'll meet you downstairs. If my brother asks, you're just a friend that happened to be stopping by and I forgot."

He shot out the window and left me in shock. I couldn't believe it. That bastard rolled his eyes at me.

* * *

><p>Sorin and I left the house and found Hiei standing outside the house.<p>

"Who are you?" Sorin asked, getting a little too close to Hiei for my liking. I pulled him back and my nerves did not go unnoticed by Hiei. I saw that same flash of sadness again.

"Sorin, this is my friend, Hiei. He's coming with us to the park."

Sorin smiled brightly. "Okay! Then let's go." Sorin yanked free from me and ran over to Hiei. I tried to grab him, but he was too fast. "So, Hiei, where are you from? Do you go to school with Abby? Do you work at the hospital?"

Hiei seemed shocked that my little brother was accosting him with questions. You would think he never met a ten year old boy before. He looked up at me nervously. Why was he getting nervous? He didn't seem this bad yesterday. The bad boy attitude he had suited him more than this uncomfortable one.

"He's from around here; he doesn't go to school with me; and he doesn't work at the hospital. We met the other day on the beach," I replied taking the heat off of Hiei.

"Oh, okay." That seemed to appease Sorin.

When we got to a crosswalk, Sorin took Hiei's hand and Hiei jumped at the sudden contact.

"What are you doing?" he asked darkly making me nervous.

"Abby says that you have to hold hands with a grown up while crossing the street," Sorin stated matter-of-factly, "and you're a grown up." Sorin smiled up at Hiei. I smiled too. Despite Hiei making me nervous, Sorin really had no guy to look up to in his life and no guy friends. The way he was interacting with him was adorable.

"Hey Abby, Sorin, um…new guy?" my friend Airi greeted when we reached the park.

"Hey, Airi, this is Hiei," I said introducing the temperamental fire demon I had met yesterday.

"Hi," Airi said with a cheery smile and a wave. Hiei just growled at her. After Airi "eeped," I glared at Hiei and suggested Airi take Sorin to go play for a bit.

When we were left alone, I snapped. "Was that necessary?"

"Hn," was all I got for a reply.

"Hiei, she's my friend. You're the one who said you wanted to come."

"I didn't _want _any of this," Hiei said walking away from me into the park. I was visibly seething at this point and I was about to give him a piece of my mind when something unexpected happened.

"Hey, Abeline," Kuwabara greeted. "What are you doing here?"

"Abby, who's this?" Sorin asked. He was walking next to a girl with red eyes and teal hair.

"Oh, hey, Sorin. This is my friend, Kuwabara. He's friends with Hiei." Both Hiei and Kuwabara scoffed. I looked up to the girl and asked. "Who are you?"

"Oh, I'm sorry," she said sheepishly. "My name is Yukina. I'm friends with Kazuma and Hiei as well. Is this your brother?" I nodded and she smiled. "He's very sweet. He just picked me a flower."

I couldn't help but grin. Sorin was always nice to everyone, especially girls since he had that protective little brother nature. I know it's supposed to be protective older brother, but it's just so cute when he acts all concerned for me.

"It's nice to meet you, Yukina," I said holding out my hand. "I'm Abeline, but my friends call me Abby."

"It's very nice to meet you too, Abby," Yukina replied using my nickname. I smiled. This girl already saw me as a friend.

I noticed Hiei looking at us strangely, with a hint of longing in his eyes. It confused the hell out of me. What was he longing for? Being on my good side, or being closer to this girl?

"Hiei, do you want to play with me?" Sorin asked, drawing all of our attention to Hiei.

"Hah!" Kuwabara laughed. "Kid, I don't think that's going to happen anytime soon. Don't get your hopes up."

Sorin frowned and both Hiei and I glared at Kuwabara. "That is not the way to let down a ten year old, Kuwabara," I said. I looked over to Hiei. "Would you?"

Hiei shrugged and Sorin cheered running towards the sand box. Hiei followed him reluctantly with his arms crossed.

"Hiei can be really sweet sometimes," Yukina said, "don't you agree?"

I looked over to the fire demon who was surprisingly keeping his cool as my little brother was explaining how to make a sandcastle. It was definitely a heart-warming moment, but what caught me were Hiei's eyes meeting mine from a distance. For the first time, I could actually see the pain and hurt he felt. It was different then when we were on the beach though. On the beach, his eyes seemed to be begging me not to say anything degrading to him, as if one more insult would have broken him beyond repair, but that couldn't be. Now his eyes seemed to still shine with hurt but with more of a "I bet you didn't know I could be this way" kind of look. Well, he was right.

"I didn't expect it," I replied honestly.

* * *

><p>Later, after saying goodbye to Airi, Kuwabara, and Yukina, I brought Sorin to school although it was obvious that he wanted to come to my class with me. I would love that except for the jerk I have to deal with every day.<p>

"I can take it from here, Hiei," I said. "I'm just going to class. There's no way I could get away from you guys even if I wanted to, so you don't have to follow me around."

Hiei didn't respond; he just walked inside. I looked at him like he had nine heads. He was so hard to understand. Wasn't he just following me around to make sure I didn't try to skip town and get out of training? I thought I made it obvious enough that I would never leave here. I had too much responsibility to just give it all up because they want me to train with them for a while.

I followed him into the building, but he let me lead the way to my class, obviously since he had no idea where we were going. When we got there, I made my way to my favorite spot. I expected Hiei to hide somewhere in the back (well, I actually expected him not to come at all, but whatever). To my surprise, he joined me up front and sat with his arms crossed and eyes closed.

"Well if it isn't my favorite bitch," we both heard. Great, more Tsuki drama.

"Tsuki, seriously, get a life and stay out of mine," I replied.

"I would but you keep causing problems for me and my family," Tsuki snapped. "Do you know how much business we're losing?"

"Do you know how irritating your bitching is?" Hiei retorted without moving from his spot. "Seriously, I know some annoying people who whine like children…but you, you are making me want to cut off my own ears, so just shut the hell up."

"Why you little...who the hell are you anyway?" When I started laughing, I received a glare. "And what, pray tell, do you find so funny, you reject?"

I stopped laughing, but I had a smile on my face. "I may be a reject, but at least my life has purpose."

"I don't have to listen to this crap," Tsuki responded, stomping away like a small child who didn't get his way.

I looked over to Hiei. "Thanks for that. Usually it's just drama, but what you said made this encounter a good laugh. So worth it."

Hiei smirked. "I have no tolerance for idiots, and that guy sounded like an idiot." I nodded and then the teacher entered and started the lesson. I couldn't wipe the smile off my face for the entire class.

* * *

><p>I didn't have to work at the rescue center today, but I decided to go anyway to check on the dolphins.<p>

"Hey, Tai," I greeted. "How are they?"

Tai smiled. "Both are doing fine. Harumi said they should be back out there by the end of the week."

"That's good. By the way, this is Hiei, my shadow for the day." I ignored Hiei's glare. But seriously, he was like my shadow.

"Hey man," Tai said waving at Hiei. He didn't seem bothered by Hiei ignoring him. "Anyway, what are you doing here? It's your day off."

"I just wanted to see them," I sighed. "Can you blame me?"

"No, I can't," Tai replied. "But I do know your mother will be pissed if she finds out you came here on your day off."

Hiei looked over to me with a confused expression. He must not have overheard my fight with her the day prior. "Who cares? I don't do what my mother tells me, you know."

Tai sighed in defeat. "Look, you don't want a fight with your family. Everyone knows it never works out. I know you love your family more than anything, so just _try _to work things out. As long as you do your part, then you'll feel better about yourself."

"I have tried, Tai. She just doesn't get it," I muttered.

"Have you tried to tell her about it?" he asked. "If not than can you blame her."

"Look, no one knows what happened," I replied. That was kind of true. I may have told Hiei a little of what happened, but he didn't know the full story. "I'm not going to give into her will. She has that old mentality that women are supposed to be quiet and devoted and not have a voice, and that is not who I am."

"If you feel that way, then why don't you move out?" Tai inquired.

"I need to be there for my dad and Sorin," I answered. "They're what's important. I need to go now."

I left without waiting for Hiei. I could hear Tai telling Hiei to apologize to me for him later before he appeared next to me.

* * *

><p>When we made it back to my house, I told Hiei to meet me in my room. I didn't want to have to explain who he was to my mother. I quickly unlocked the door and found my mother sitting on the couch with her arms crossed. She had that disappointed scowl on her face. I could already tell I was in for a rough ride.<p>

"I'm home," I said bitterly.

"I see that," mother responded. "Why are you home so late, though? Today is supposed to be your day off. You should have been home an hour ago."

"I'm sorry, but I just wanted to make sure everything was okay at the rescue center." I knew never to lie because she would always have heard the truth from someone else and it never worked out for me. "I came straight home as soon as I knew."

"Unacceptable!" she shouted. I winced at the sound. "I wanted you home. You missed the appointment I set for you."

_Appointment? _"What appointment?" I really hope she didn't.

"Etiquette classes," she answered nonchalantly. Oh, she went there.

"And what makes you think I would have even gone?" I asked challengingly.

"Because I said so," she replied smugly. "In exchange to keep your job."

"WHAT?" I screamed. "Why would you do that?"

"Because you need to learn proper etiquette, especially towards our neighbors."

"This is stupid!" I growled.

Mother smiled a sickeningly sweet smile. "That may be, Abeline, but it's the only thing you can do that will make me accept your job."

It took all my power not to blow up at her and I used my will power to get me up to my room before I did or said something I would regret. I slammed the door and turned around to see Hiei standing in the middle of my room staring at me with his eyebrow raised in confusion.

"Not in the mood," I said to him, jumping onto my bed and hiding my face in my pillows.

"What are 'etiquette classes?'" he asked me. I should have known he heard everything.

"Pretty much the equivalent to hell," I answered. "It's just a bunch of stuck up people who think they're better than everyone else instructing you on how to be 'a proper lady,'" I sneered. "My mother hates the fact that I'd rather be an independent woman who stands up for what I believe in than conform to the views of society. What does she think I am, a fucking princess?" I heard Hiei chuckle. "What the fuck is so funny about this?"

"I can't picture you like that," he replied with a small smile. I couldn't help but return the smile. It was the first time I think I had ever seen him with a sense of humor.

"Trust me; I can't either," I admitted. I rolled over and looked at the ceiling. "I just wish she'd let me be myself."

"What does she have against you working for the rescue center?" he asked. "It's just a job."

"Yeah, a job where I get dirty, build up my muscles, and go against our 'loving neighbors.' That job is an embarrassment to her because it reflects how she raised me…at least, that's what she always says."

"Hn. It should embarrass her that you have more pride than she does."

"Well, not exactly," I confessed. "I'm going to give into her and take the damn classes."

"You still have pride, because you still get to show your true colors. These classes won't change you."

"Since when did you get on my side? I thought you hated me. Isn't that why you're stalking me? Because you don't trust me to stay in town long enough to train?"

"I never said that."

I must have looked surprised because Hiei's face grew serious and his eyes seemed to be asking the question, "what?" He looked insulted, maybe because I accused him of playing baby-sitter. I seemed to always be insulting him. What was wrong with him? What happened that made him so touchy?

After silently staring for a few minutes, he surprised me when he asked, "Why do you think so little of yourself?"

My mouth fell open as he rushed to the window and disappeared. He was pissed because I somehow managed to insult…myself? The little fire demon seriously confused me, but what confused me even more was what his statement implied. He hadn't spent the day because he _had _to spend time with me, but he had spent the day with me because he actually _wanted _to spend time with me. I only had one thing to say.

"What the hell just happened?"

* * *

><p>AN: Yay, OOC Hiei chapter XD Come on, it's impossible not to write one of those from time to time. So this chapter was meant to just give even more of an idea of Abby's home life plus, Hiei got to see some of it. Hope you all enjoyed it.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I don't own YYH or the characters. Just my OCs.

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><p>The next few days after Hiei had spent the day with me, I was depressed. After that night, Hiei didn't come by at all. By the end of the week, I figured that I had somehow chased him away. I didn't know then why I cared so much, but I did, and I felt lonely and rejected. Maybe that's just because I always felt that way and just didn't realize it before, or maybe I just never met the right person.<p>

"Sea Biscuit, can we talk?" I turned to my door to see my dad standing there.

"Hey, dad," I greeted. "What's going on?"

He cocked his eyebrow at me which confused the hell out of me. "I should ask you the same thing," he replied.

I turned away. I didn't want to talk about what I was going through right now, especially not with my dad of all people. "Nothing much," I lied.

"Your brother said he met a few friends of yours." I stopped what I was doing immediately and froze. "He told me about this one guy in particular, Hiei I think. Who is he?"

_Damn it, _I thought. It wasn't that my dad got suspicious of me or anything, but I always told him who my friends were and when I made a new one. This was the first time I hadn't said anything. Leave it to my little brother to mention it.

"He said he's your boyfriend," dad continued.

My eyes widened. _Oh, hell no._ "He's not my boyfriend. He's really just an acquaintance." I know I didn't sound too convincing, but I hoped my dad would drop it. Well, my hope was in vain.

"You've been acting different," he told me. It was true; I had been acting different, but I wasn't going to yield so quickly.

"Not really. I've just been busy. By the way, I'm thinking of going away for the weekend after my first 'propriety lesson.'" I said using air quotes.

"Where?" dad asked.

I shrugged. "Somewhere in the mountains, I guess, where I'll be cut off from all society and can just relax."

Dad hesitated, but he nodded in understanding. That's what I love about my dad. He never suspects me of doing anything wrong, unlike mom.

"Still, you have been acting different." Except he wouldn't let things go when he was worried about me. "Look, I'm not trying to run your life, Sea Biscuit, but I want to make sure that you are happy."

I looked at him sadly. I didn't want him to know that I was depressed because some stranger I barely knew was ignoring me or that I felt somewhat rejected.

"I want to meet him," dad said bringing me out of my thoughts.

"Who?" I asked.

"I want to meet that Hiei person," he replied.

"Wh-what?" I asked nervously.

"Well, my son has taken a liking to him and it's obvious he did or said something to upset you. I want to see if he really is as great as your brother described. Is that okay?"

I nodded, but said, "I don't want mom to meet him, though. Is there any way we can do this without her knowing?" Dad smiled and nodded. "Okay, then I'll let you know."

Dad seemed okay with my answer and left the room. As soon as he did, I turned around and nearly fell backwards as I was right up against Hiei and shocked at his arrival and distance.

"Don't do that!" I said loudly, though not loud enough for my family to hear.

"Hn. Why does your father want to meet me?" Hiei asked.

"You know how protective dads get." When his brow furrowed, I knew that he didn't know. "I don't know. Dads usually get all protective when they think their daughter is dating."

"But we aren't dating." I don't know why it hurt when he said that, but I brushed it off.

"Yeah, well, my brother told him we were," I said trying to act tough and unaffected. "I never said we were. Why would I want to go out with someone like you, anyway?"

I could tell my statement cut him deeper than his cut me. I swear, I can't say anything right to this guy. I sighed. "Look, I didn't mean it that way. It's just you kind of disappeared on me. I mean, it's not like you owe me an explanation, but it would have been nice to know when you were dropping in so I could at least not be in the middle of a conversation with my dad when you just randomly showed up."

He didn't respond. I honestly don't think he heard me, so I walked up to him and waved my hand in his face. He didn't say or do anything but after a few seconds he grabbed my wrist a little too roughly. I snatched it away from him. "What the hell is your problem?" I snapped. "This is getting frustrating. Everything I do seems to insult you, so just let me know that you're not coming here anymore and we can both go our separate ways until the weekend and I'll just make something up with my dad."

"I'll go," he responded.

"Go where?" I questioned, raising my voice.

"To this…dinner."

I looked at him incredulously. "Why would you come when it's clear you hate me? Why would you want to meet my dad if you don't want anything to do with me and I always seem to insult you?"

He went to the window ready to leave, but stopped when he was kneeling at the ledge. He turned his head slightly to look at me. "There is a lot about me you don't understand." Then he left again.

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><p>The next day, I told dad Hiei would be willing to meet him and he suggested we meet somewhere for dinner while mom was visiting a friend. Hiei overheard at the window and came in after dad left again and agreed to it.<p>

"What did you mean, yesterday?" I asked while putting on some jewelry.

"I don't know what you are referring to," he lied.

"'There's a lot about me you don't understand,'" I repeated making him twitch. "What did you mean?"

He was about to say something when my mother appeared in my room, pissed off about something. What else is new?

"Abeline, who is this boy?" she asked. I looked nervously and apologetically over to Hiei.

"He's a friend, mom. Hiei, this is my mom," I introduced, although he already knew.

"And what is he doing in your room?"

I was damned if I told her the truth or not, so I decided to go the moral route.

"Dad wanted to meet him because Sorin met him the other day. Dad said you were visiting a friend tonight. We planned on going out to dinner and Hiei just showed up early."

"Why don't I believe you?" she asked me with venom in her voice. See, damned if I do, damned if I don't. I knew what she was insinuating, but I wouldn't tolerate it.

"Look mother, he's a friend, not a boyfriend. I can have those, you know. I'm not so socially awkward that I can't make a friend."

"A guy friend. You know guys are only after one thing. I don't want him here."

I noticed Hiei tense again and then I figured it out. Took me forever, but it was always when we attacked his character by associating him with other guys. Something must have happened to him that involved someone judging him and it seemed to have affected him.

"Well, that's just too bad, isn't it?" I retorted. "He's my friend and I do want him here, but you…you didn't even knock my door. I could yell, but I'll ask nicely. Kindly get the heck out of my room so I can finish getting ready for dinner. Thanks, now go."

Before I knew it, mom was in my face. "You better watch how you talk to me. I will not tolerate disrespect."

"The day I respect you is the day you stop yelling at me, hitting me, or belittling me," I said darkly. "Until then, I have no respect for someone as rude and uncaring as you. Get out of my room."

Mom was pissed, but I didn't care. After she left the room and slammed the door, I went over to where Hiei was sitting. I put my hand on his shoulder and he looked up at me. The hurt in his eyes was evident and I felt guilty for letting my mom anywhere near him.

"What happened to you?" I asked before I could stop the words from leaving my mouth.

"Nothing happened," he replied.

"Nothing? Hiei, the way you reacted isn't nothing. Something bad happened to you and I want to know what."

"Just let it go, onna," he said.

"I'm not going to let it go. If there's something I did or said that upset you, I need to know why so I can avoid it in the future. What happened?"

"I'm not telling you," he replied. I got pissed off at that and then I said something to try and make a point, even though I didn't believe it.

"Yeah, well, I guess I should expect much from a guy. They're just these cold, unfeeling assholes that keep shit bottled up and then take it out on everyone else. It's guys like that I hate the most."

I regretted what I said as soon as I saw the look on his face. He looked so broken before he sped out of my room. I hadn't meant what I said, but I thought he would snap back at me and tell me just to rub it in my face and make me feel guilty. But instead of throwing it back in my face, he took my words literally and ran away. Instead of making a point, I hurt him worse and that made me feel like the worst person in the word.

* * *

><p>Needless to say the dinner never happened and then the weekend came up so quickly. I was hoping Hiei would show up to take me to meet the guys so I could apologize, but I was met with Kurama instead. I had hoped Hiei would get over what I said, but I guess that was pushing in a little.<p>

Kurama drove us to some random area in the mountains and parked the car in the middle of the woods. We ended up near a staircase that led up the mountain. When I saw how many stairs there were, I paled.

"We have to climb ALL those stairs?" I asked.

Kurama just chuckled and I narrowed my eyes at him. "Yes, but don't worry. Everyone says that the first time they see, but it gets easier as time goes on."

_Yeah right, _I thought.

As we were climbing, my thoughts drifted to Hiei and everything that had happened earlier in the week. I didn't notice Kurama glance over to me. When he put a hand onto my shoulder, I stopped and looked up to see him frowning in worry.

"What?" I asked.

"I understand what transpired the other night and I just wanted to make sure you were okay," Kurama replied.

I looked at him strangely. "Why wouldn't I be okay? Hiei was the one that got insulted, not me."

Kurama frowned and part of me felt like he knew about the fact that I was starting to feel some type of emotional pain in not seeing Hiei. I, myself, was still trying to understand these feelings, so I didn't expect anyone else to figure it out.

"I'm a couple thousand years old, Abeline," he explained as if reading my mind. "I'm not reading your mind, but you facial expressions and energy go through subtle changes and I've had enough life experience to distinguish them."

"So Hiei didn't say anything?" I don't know why I asked, but I did and I wasn't expecting the answer I got.

"No." I was shocked. I figured Hiei couldn't wait to get rid of me after that and turn all his buddies against me. "Hiei doesn't really…communicate…his feelings to anyone, ever." He sighed. "You didn't hear this from me, but I believe Kuwabara said you met Yukina, correct?" I nodded, not really understanding what meeting Yukina had anything to do with this. "Ask her about her brother. I'll let you figure everything else out on your own."

"What is there to find out?" He was really starting to worry me.

"I can't tell you that, Abeline."

"You can call me, Abby, ya know," I murmured.

Kurama smiled. "Alright then, Abby. I can't tell you anymore that this, but I will give this piece of advice. Do not under any circumstances ask Yukina about her brother around Hiei."

"Does Hiei not like her brother?" I asked.

"Something like that," Kurama said, although he sounded sad about this. Okay, at that point, I needed to know.

* * *

><p>"Oh, hello, Abby," Yukina greeted. "It's nice to see you again."<p>

I saw Hiei sitting up at a tree. He looked at me for a second with what could only be described as pain before closing his eyes and looking away. It was then I registered what Yukina had said.

"Yes, it's nice to see you again, too, Yukina. Hey, can I talk to you for a second?"

Hiei looked back down again, this time looking curious. I ignored him and followed Yukina into the temple.

_What did you say to her, fox? _I heard inside my head. I nearly shrieked, but kept my cool as I listened to the mental conversation.

_Absolutely nothing. _I scoffed. Seriously, what was there to tell?

"What did you want to talk about, Abby?"

"I know this is probably going to seem like a bizarre question, but would you be willing to tell me about your brother?"

Yukina smiled. "So Kurama said something, huh?"

"What's going on?" I asked. "Is there some kind of conspiracy or something going on with your brother?"

Yukina looked outside and I joined her. Hiei was glaring daggers at Kurama.

"He doesn't know I know, but Kurama and Yusuke do," Yukina stated.

"Who doesn't know you know what?" I was seriously getting confused.

Yukina sighed. "I won't give names yet. Kurama probably wants you to figure it out on your own."

"Do you guys like plan the stuff you're going to say or something?"

Yukina laughed. "No silly. Anyway, I have a twin brother." I looked at her skeptically. "We were separated at birth. You see, I am an ice maiden and in our culture, there are no men. Women give birth to one girl every hundred years without any male contact." I wasn't even going to ask how that was possible. "If an ice maiden does mate with a male, then she has a boy, or in my mother's case, a boy and a girl. My brother was seen as a curse, an imiko, and the elders ordered for him to be killed." I blanched. "They forced my mother's friend to toss him from a mountain and he survived, but I didn't meet him until a few years ago after I had gone looking for him and got captured."

"How could they do that to a baby?" I shouted. "He couldn't even defend himself, though he had to be incredibly strong to survive."

Yukina smiled. "Yes, he's very strong, but he doesn't want me to know that he's my brother."

"Why not?"

"I don't know. Yusuke and Kurama haven't told me. All I know is that he needs time before he can bring himself to tell me."

"Why don't you tell him you know?"

"In all honesty," she said with a smile, "I'm trying to protect a friend who told me by accident. I already had a suspicion but she confirmed it and my brother had already threatened her about telling me. I figure he'll tell me when he's ready and then it won't matter HOW I found out."

"Does it bother you that he's forcing everyone to keep it a secret?" I would never be able to forgive someone for doing that to me.

Yukina's smile never faded but it saddened. "No," she replied. "He's had a hard enough life as it is."

She looked back out the window and I leaned against the wall. Hiei was still out there looking up at the sky from the tree. "So…" I said, "what happened to your brother?"

"You're looking at him."

My eyes widened when she said that and I looked to her in shock. Tears were starting to form in her eyes and she excused herself. I stared at Hiei for a while longer before Yusuke found me and told me that I had to meet Genkai and train.

I gave Hiei one last glance and then heard something else in my head. _Why the hell is this bothering me? I shouldn't care that some human girl hates me. I hate her too…don't I?_

Tears almost formed in my eyes and I forced myself not to let any fall. Now I felt guiltier than I had for the last few days. I didn't just insult Hiei, I hurt him deeply and I didn't know how I could convince him that I didn't hate him. At least, not at the moment.


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I don't own YYH or the characters

I don't know why, but after ending last chapter, I just want to move on, so why fight that? I promise that I will get back to my other stories, but this is the first story in a while that my mind wants me to continue, so here we go XD

* * *

><p>The next morning, I woke up and felt, well, awful! Genkai did not take any crap and I learned that quickly. I also found that she, by no means, takes it easy on you whether you are a guy or a girl even if you have different strengths. Yusuke found my struggling quite humorous, but I know I'll find some way to get back at him for that. Kuwabara actually pitied me, which was even worse than Yusuke and his cocky demeanor. The only one who hadn't pissed me off was Kurama, but only because he kept his mouth shut. He must have learned that in his thousand years because that was the smartest thing any of those idiots could have done.<p>

It wasn't all their fault, though. After talking with Yukina, I definitely didn't feel like myself and I was far from focused on training my abilities. I was more concerned with the fact that my words that were not meant to be taken seriously may have scarred a fire demon for life. I really wished that I could take the words back, but no matter what I said or did, I knew those words would haunt him forever. Believe me, I know from experience.

Speaking of, I went outside since everyone was still asleep. I had a rough night and didn't sleep as soundly as my body wanted me too, but hey I am a college student. I should have gotten used this by now.

Running my fingers through my bed head, I looked out into the courtyard of Genkai's compound. Hiei was still in the tree sleeping and I wondered why he would sleep out in the cold in a tree instead of in a warm bed. Well, he is a fire demon, so I guess it doesn't matter.

I kept watching his unmoving form. He looked so peaceful that it pulled at something inside of me. I felt my chest tighten a bit and closed my eyes to regain my composure. When I opened them, he was no longer in the tree.

"Take a picture. It'll last longer." I almost screamed when I heard Hiei's voice coming from behind me.

"Y-you're awake?" I asked in shock. "But I, you…oh never mind."

"Hn." He was about to walk away, but I grabbed his arm forcing him to look at me. I had never seen an expression so cold and guarded before in my life. His face displayed no emotion as his eyes bore into my soul. His intense gaze still couldn't hide the pain I had caused him; the hatred shining through his eyes suffocated me. I placed my hand on his arm.

"Hiei…" I said softly. He snatched his arm out of my grip and glared at me.

"I don't want to hear it, onna," he snapped. "Just stay away from me."

I panicked. He started to walk away, probably out of my life for good. I couldn't think of anything, so I did the one thing that I never did.

"I'm sorry!" I shouted. Before he made a move to run off, he paused and looked back at me. I can't even describe the look on his face, but I can try. I'm gonna go with a mix of surprise, anger, hurt, and most importantly fear.

"What?" he asked hesitantly.

"I…I never meant to hurt you," I explained. "I said that stuff the other night in hopes you'd open up to me, even if you were doing it to defend your actions or get back at me and make me feel guilty. I didn't mean it. I just wanted to help you."

"Hn," he replied looking down to the ground. "I have no need for your help, human. And…" He hesitated. "…I don't care about what you said. It just shows how little you know. You are an idiot if you think I am going to tell you anything."

"I…" I struggled. How could I let him know without letting him know Yukina or Kurama told me anything? And then there was protecting that friend Yukina mentioned. "I can hear thoughts," I said. It wasn't a lie. It was my newly discovered talent, so I could use it as an excuse if I wanted to. "I know what happened to you."

Oh, if looks could kill. Next thing I knew, I was pressed against the temple wall with a sword to my throat. My heart started racing in fear. I didn't know Hiei well enough to assume that he wouldn't kill me.

"And what, pray tell, do you know?" he asked menacingly.

"Yeah, like I'm going to say anything with a sword to my throat," I said wryly. His grip on me tightened and the blade was now touching my skin. If I moved even a centimeter, it would have drawn blood. I sighed and gave up. "Look, I know what your people did to you and it's terrible that it happened to you. I can't even begin to imagine how you feel. I can relate, but as for actually knowing what you deal with every day, I just can't imagine it. You are a lot stronger and go a lot deeper than I ever gave you credit for. I take back what I said, all of it, even from the day I met you. Please, just trust me. I know you're a tough guy and all, but this pain is more than you can handle alone. Please, let me help you."

The sword was moved away from my neck, but I was still pressed up against the temple. I looked Hiei in the eyes and he was still glaring daggers at me. I move to try and touch him but he swatted me hand away in such a manner that it hurt. I grasped onto my wrist and looked at him in disbelief. We stayed that way for a short time before I tried again.

Hiei's shock resonated from his entire being. He must have assumed that he could scare me off and expected me to flee or escape, instead of try to get close to him. Other than Yukina, did any other female ever try to connect to him? If so, were they ever successful?

I moved my hand to rub his cheek. He watched me carefully, shock and fear in his eyes. I noticed his hand tense around the hilt of his sword, but he lost his grip on it when I ran my fingers through his hair. I smiled. He looked like a relaxed puppy. When he leaned against my hand, I stopped moving and he opened his hazy eyes.

"Why?" he managed to choke out without looking at me.

"Because, Hiei," I responded, "we are definitely one in the same."

* * *

><p>The days went on and eventually led into weeks. Hiei and I had gotten closer during that time, though we still never talked about his past. He started watching my training sessions with Genkai and then would critique me later and try to help me with my form. Neither of us told anyone about my ability to read minds as of yet and part of me wondered why he would want to keep it a secret.<p>

Either way, he would help me with that too, since he had the ability to read minds thanks to his third-eye. He refused to show me the Jagan, probably thinking I would find him to be a monster or something. It was always about the fear of rejection with him. I now understood why he never told Yukina about the past. But if she had known that, she would have told him ages ago that she knew. He wouldn't have to worry about her rejecting him, anyway. She loved him like any sister would love her brother and it was obvious by how protective he was of her that he loved her too.

There were some days where Hiei would come and find me at either of my two jobs or to my house just to sit in comfortable silence as I did my job or homework. There would be times where he spent the night (without my parents' knowledge, of course) especially after I gave him a massage or something else to relax him. At first he hated the idea of being in a seemingly defenseless position, but after a while he learned to trust that I wouldn't hurt or betray him and finally let himself relax enough to fall asleep on my lap.

One day, my little brother came into my room and saw Hiei and me sitting on my small couch talking and called my dad in excitement. My father didn't mind the fact that Hiei was there, but was disappointed that he hadn't met him after a month.

"So, you're the infamous Hiei," my dad said making me chuckled. "My son said a lot of good things about you. It's a pleasure."

Hiei sucked in some air when my father extended his hand to him. He looked to me nervously, but I just smiled and nodded. Hiei looked back to my father's hand and shook it without saying anything.

I could tell by the look in his eyes that he was studying my father. I couldn't help but grin at how adorable he looked.

"Well, since you're here, would you like to stay for dinner?"

"Is that woman going to be there?" Hiei asked.

Dad looked confused, so I filled him in. "Hiei met mom before and it didn't go very well," I told him.

Dad sighed and looked over to Hiei apologetically. "I am sorry for anything my wife may have said or done. She hasn't been acting like herself lately."

_Lately? _Hiei asked in my head.

_I never tell him anything, _I explained.

"Anyway," dad continued snapping us back to attention, "I will do everything I can to mediate if you stay. I would really like to get to know you since you are friends with my daughter."

I didn't expect Hiei to stay. My mother would say terrible things all night and he knew that. He would have to deal with his most painful memories. It was what he said that changed everything.

"I will stay."

It was then I knew I had fallen in love with him.

* * *

><p>Dinner was somewhat tense. Mom kept glaring between me and Hiei. Dad watched her nervously, waiting to see if she was planning on saying anything. Sorin was oblivious to the tense atmosphere and talked about his day.<p>

"And then my teacher gave me a piece of candy for getting the math problem right after four others couldn't figure it out," Sorin reported.

I forced a smile and tried to keep the anxiety out of my voice. "That's great, sweetie," I said. Dad nodded at me, silently thanking me for not alerting him.

"I'm full now, mama," Sorin said. "Can I go play?"

Mother didn't look away from Hiei. "That's fine," she said sternly.

Sorin smiled and got up from his seat. He ran over to Hiei and grabbed onto him, making the fire demon jump. Hiei stopped eating and looking down at him. "Yes?"

"Will you come play with me?"

Hiei looked over to me and I smiled and nodded. I could tell Hiei was happy to get some kind of reprieve. Anyone would rather deal with my brother than my mother.

"What was that?" Well, speak of the devil and she'll answer.

"What was what?" I asked innocently.

"Don't play dumb," mother ordered. I was about to retort when dad stepped in.

"Please, dear, not with Sorin and our guest in the other room. We have to be good hosts."

"The heck we do for that, that…I can't even think of a word to describe that abomination."

I felt Hiei's energy spike. He could hear her and I knew that word was the worst one for her to use and I was not going to let her get away with it.

"You know what?" I said. "I'm done. I have tried to get passed everything you do. I haven't told dad about any of it, but you just crossed a line and I'm just done. Done with dealing with your crap and protecting you."

"What are you talking about, Sea Biscuit?" Dad looked incredibly worried and we both know he should be.

I looked over to the room where Hiei was playing with Sorin. Hiei was staring directly at me. Though he was hiding his emotions, I could tell he was worried about what was about to happen. I motioned to Sorin but Hiei shook his head. He didn't care if my brother was nearby or my dad was here with me. He just didn't want to leave me to face my mother.

I sighed and took a deep breath. "Mom and I fight a lot and not just verbally. She has gotten pissed at me before to the point of hitting me. I was trying to keep the peace for you and Sorin and just deal with it, but attacking my closest friend was going too far especially when he could hear you."

"Oh please, he's in another room. There's no way he heard."

When Hiei came to the door, mother realized that she was wrong. She looked over to him, confusion etched in her features.

"As you can see, that's not true," I said. _Where's Sorin?_ I tried to convey to Hiei. I still had trouble initiating conversations. Usually he used his telepathy on me to talk, but I needed to know.

_Outside._

Well, that was a relief. "And besides, neither of us has to tolerate your disrespect."

"You live under my roof, Abeline Doyl, so yes, you do."

"No she doesn't." We all turned to look at my father. I don't think I had ever seen him angry before. "How could you even think about laying a hand on our daughter?"

I flinched. Dad sounded scary when he was mad. I felt Hiei's hand on my arm in his attempt to comfort me. He started pulling me out of the line of fire in my parents' fight.

_This could last a while, _he said. _Let's just get you and your brother out of here until this fight is over._ I nodded and wrote dad a note seeing as neither parent realized we were leaving. Then Hiei went upstairs with me and watched me pack an overnight bag with clothes for Sorin and myself. Thank God it was the weekend.

"Would Kurama be okay with us staying with him for the night?" I asked, not really sure how the guy would feel about us randomly showing up.

"I already told him and he's fine," Hiei replied. "The only thing is he demands we all call him Shuichi around his mother."

"Oh, okay," I said monotonously. I was still a little shocked, but even more so when Hiei turned me to face him and started studying my expression. I had tears in my eyes and it was obvious that I was hurt and scared by the whole ordeal. His hand slid up to my cheek as I unconsciously moved closer to him and forced a hug upon him. To my surprise, he snaked his arms around me, returning the hug.

"Why didn't you say anything?" he asked, probably about the fact that mom hits me. Sure I mentioned it like once in that fight when Hiei was first here, but he probably thought it was a passing thing, or he didn't hear it because of his own hurt.

I scoffed. "From the guy who refuses to open up about his past?" I questioned. "Let's just say there's a lot you don't know about me either."

He didn't respond to that as we left my room and went to find my brother. Thankfully, he was outside running around, completely oblivious to the fight going on inside.

"Hi Abby, why do you have a bag?" Sorin asked.

I forced another smiled. "Because sweetie, you and I are going to Hiei's friend's house to spend the night. His name is Shuichi."

"Yay, new people!" Sorin cheered. He really was the sweetest little boy ever.

"Let's go," Hiei suggested before looking back at the house.

"Yeah," I agreed taking Sorin's hand.

* * *

><p>Things were crazy. Mom and dad were talking about getting a divorce and now even Sorin was aware of the situation. That was all we needed.<p>

Hiei came by even more often than he had been originally to get the two of us out of the house. By this point Sorin knew about the training as we took him to Genkai's a few times. At first it freaked him out, but he slowly adjusted to the new information and looked up to Hiei even more as a superhero. It was always so funny to watch Hiei get flustered. Speaking of…

"Why am I doing this again?" he asked as I led him into the pool at the rescue hospital.

"Because, I want you to see why I love them so much." We had just rescued another dolphin earlier in the week that had been caught in a gill net.

Hiei looked at the dolphin nervously. For someone so strong, it was interesting to see that being in the water made him nervous. I guess that's what happens when you're a fire demon.

The dolphin swam up to him and turned on its side eyeing Hiei expectantly. He looked at me. "What does she want me to do?" he asked.

I laughed. "Pet her, silly. Dolphins are friendly."

He hesitantly rested his hand on her skin and rubbed slightly. The dolphin grew excited and splashed her fins around getting Hiei all wet.

If I wasn't in the water, I would have literally been rolling on the floor laughing. Hiei was so shocked at what had happened, but seconds later he regained his composure and I actually saw him crack a grin. See dolphins do make everyone feel better.

"That was unexpected," Hiei said. I laughed some more and I walked over to him and gave him a hug.

"See, don't you feel better? Even she likes you."

Hiei didn't respond, but I could feel a small wave of confidence radiate from him. I knew this would help him; I just knew it.

* * *

><p>AN: Coming up is going to be a little drama with a small setback for Hiei and Abby, and it is something that no one saw coming.


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I don't own YYH or the characters. Just my OC's.

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><p>Things were going really well for Hiei and I, but were getting worse between my parents. Dad didn't want me or Sorin in the house while going through the whole divorce process. We ended up staying at Kurama's house, with Hiei of course. Kurama's mother was really kind and very understanding. I had to admit, I was jealous of the relationship he had with her. Sometimes I think Hiei was too.<p>

"Abby, I need help with homework," Sorin said. We obviously still had to go to school.

"Sure sweety, what is it?" I asked.

Sorin looked down to the ground and handed me the assignment. He had to write an essay about our family life.

_Oh, you have got to be freaking kidding me!_

_What? _I heard Hiei ask. He must have been listening to my thoughts.

_Just my brother's school causing even more drama for my little brother. We'll talk later when you get here._

_Hn._

"When's it due?" I asked Sorin.

"Next week."

"Alright, you don't worry about this assignment right now, okay? I'll take care of it."

"Really?" Sorin asked. I nodded. He ran over and gave me a hug. "Thank you, Abby."

"Hey, are you two ready for dinner?" Kurama asked coming into the living room.

"Yay, food!" Sorin cheered, running into the dining room. Kurama and I chuckled.

"What about you?" Kurama questioned.

"Yeah, sure, why not?" I joked. "So what did you do today?"

Kurama shrugged. "Not much. Sometimes working for my step-father gets boring, but hey, I guess that is what happens when you go from being the legendary bandit to a blue collared job."

I couldn't help but laugh. "If you ever want excitement, we could always use more hands at the rescue hospital. I'd even put a good word in for you."

Kurama smiled. "I might take you up on that if I get another day like today."

"See, this is why I chose marine biology. I can't imagine sitting around in an office all day. I commend the people that do."

"Why thank you," Kurama said with a smile. "Now let's go before mother starts chasing us down to feed us."

"Let's."

* * *

><p>Kurama watched me tuck my little brother in in the guest room bed. It had become our room since the fighting started. This is what I was trying to avoid. Sure, I couldn't stand my mother, but I didn't want to hurt my dad or my brother. I messed up big.<p>

"It's not your fault," Kurama said as if he was reading my thoughts. I knew for a fact, though, that only Hiei and I could do that.

I snorted. "What are you talking about?"

"Whatever problems your parents have has nothing to do with you or your brother."

"Maybe not my brother, but me, yes." Kurama frowned at me. He obviously didn't like me blaming myself. For some reason, I decided to tell him what happened that day. I still had yet to tell Hiei, but he was still being so closed off about his own past. I sighed. "My parents both lost some relatives, about six years ago. It was hard on all of us and my parents decided it would be best to leave America and get some distance from the pain. We were packing one night and I started crying and mom found me in my room and for some reason got incredibly pissed off at me. She said a bunch of stuff that I don't like to think about and then I showed her the same disrespect and she hit me really hard. I was scared and hurt, so I decided to run away."

"What made you change your mind?" Kurama asked.

"A near death experience." Kurama's eyes widened. "I ended up on a pier and was looking out into the sea before I leaned too far and fell in the ocean. The waves were rough and it was late so no one could hear me calling for help. I ended up being saved by a dolphin and I decided to work on saving them like that one saved me. Anyway, a few days later, after we came to Japan, my powers appeared out of nowhere. I kind of figured out how to use them and there were many times where mom hit me where I almost fought back, but I just couldn't do it. I never told dad about what was going on because I didn't want to be a burden."

"How, after everything you just told me, can you think you are at fault?"

I sighed. "Because…because…I don't even know," I admitted. "Because I finally spoke up and told dad what's been happening. It's my fault they're fighting now."

"You are a very smart girl, Abby, but very wrong about this," Kurama told me. I looked over to him with a frown on my face. "If your mother hadn't hurt you as she did, there would be nothing to tell. Besides, you did nothing wrong and she had no right to hit you, ever. You are a strong person for putting up with it as long as you did."

"I didn't want to ruin our family," I said sadly.

"You didn't," Kurama replied, putting his hand on my shoulder in a comforting manner. "Now, you should get some sleep. You have class early tomorrow."

"Yeah, yeah," I responded. "And you have another day locked in your office."

Kurama chuckled and started to leave the room. "Don't remind me."

Kurama closed the door and I looked over to Sorin's sleeping form and smiled. The next thing I knew, I felt someone behind me.

"Why?" It was Hiei. He must have come through the open window.

"Why what?" I breathed as he hugged me from behind.

"Why didn't you tell me?" he clarified.

"Again I say, says the guy who still won't tell me about his past. What does it matter, anyway? It was a long time ago."

"Six years is not 'a long time ago,'" Hiei stated.

"Maybe not to a nearly century old demon, but to a human, it's a really long time," I scoffed. "Besides, it doesn't matter anyway."

Hiei forced me to look at him. "Of course it matters," he snapped at me quietly so he wouldn't wake up Sorin.

"Why?" Hiei was about to say something, but stopped and looked to the ground as if he was pondering something. "H-Hiei?" His gaze jumped back up to mine and our eyes met. My heart was caught in my throat at what I saw. For the first time, I saw the intensity of what Hiei was feeling and it matched what was in my heart. My expression softened and I moved closer to Hiei and brushed my hand against his cheek.

"You didn't deserve it," he said.

"Neither did you," I retorted in a whisper.

Hiei sighed. "Maybe, but it doesn't change the fact that I was a Forbidden Child."

I pulled him into a warm embrace. I hated that he thought so little of himself when it came to his people's beliefs. "That's a lie, Hiei," I told him. "Just because those heartless bitches called you that doesn't mean you are. You mean a lot to me and I don't want to hear you degrade yourself, got it?"

"You don't know anything," he responded. I could hear the sadness in his voice.

"What don't I understand?" I aksed starting to rub his shoulders.

He sucked in a breath. "I…I am an abomination, but not because I am an Imiko. I ended up being found by thieves and raised to be a thief and killer. That is how I got involved with Spirit World. I organized the theft of some rare artifacts. I kidnapped Yusuke's girlfriend and tried to kill him just so I can create an army of demons."

"Yeah, heard about that. That's some pretty bad stuff, yeah." Hiei looked away from me, clearly ashamed by his past. I forced him to look at me again. "But you have also done a lot of good. You helped Yusuke and Kuwabara fight those crazy beast things; you helped rescue you sister AND didn't kill her kidnapper; you fought alongside the guys in that wacky tournament and then later on helped to protect the Human World from being attacked by demons. In my book, that counts for something. Despite being on probation or whatever Kurama said it was, you didn't have to help them. You could have gotten away from Spirit World if you wanted to, but you didn't. You are not an 'abomination.' You are a good person…er, demon…and you are one of the most important people in my life."

Hiei just stared at me, probably searching for any type of dishonesty. Like I would lie about something like this. Just to prove my point, I kissed Hiei on the cheek. I moved back to gage his reaction. His eyes were wide and he was holding his cheek. He hadn't been expecting my gesture.

After a few minutes of him not responding, I got up and started to move towards the bed. Hiei was in front of me instantly. The way he was staring at me made me nervous, but in a good way. I felt his hand glide across the skin of my arm and up to my face. Hie thumb caressed my lips before he pulled me in for a kiss.

I couldn't believe what was going on. My heart was soaring as I felt his lips against mine. I put my arms around his neck and started playing with his spiky hair. Everything about this moment felt perfect. We broke apart though when we heard my brother whimper. Hiei let me go to check on him and I could tell Sorin was having a nightmare. I gently shook him awake and the poor boy nearly jumped out of his own skin.

"Abby, something's wrong with mama," he said with tears in his eyes.

I sat down on the bed and pulled him onto my lap. "Sweetie, nothing is wrong with mom."

"But I had a dream that she's really sick," Sorin argued. "I'm scared."

"Hey, don't worry about that. If you want, we can skip school tomorrow and go home to make sure everything is okay. How does that sound?"

Sorin nodded and sniffled. "Okay, Abby." Sorin then noticed Hiei in the room and smiled. "Hi Hiei. Are you staying with us tonight?"

Hiei was a little taken aback by Sorin's question, but nodded. He was about to go over to the chair when Sorin scooched closer to me, making room for Hiei. I couldn't help but smile.

Hiei got into the bed and Sorin gave him a hug. "Goodnight, Hiei. You're the bestest big brother ever."

Hiei froze taking in my brother's words. I honestly think he needed to hear them, even if they weren't from Yukina. It was heart-warming to watch Hiei put his arm around Sorin, returning his hug. He looked over to me with an emotion I could define and beckoned me to come closer to him and Sorin. I happily obliged and put my arm around my brother and Hiei. The three of us lied in that comfortable embrace and drifted off to sleep. Unfortunately, that would be our only peaceful moment for the next week.

* * *

><p>The next day I got up early and saw that Hiei and Sorin we still asleep. I decided to run over to Sorin's school.<p>

"Can I help you?" his teacher greeted me.

"Actually, yeah," I replied. "I'm Abeline Doyl, Sorin's older sister."

The teacher smiled at me. "I have heard many good things about you, Abeline. Please sit."

I sat down and took out Sorin's assignment. The teacher looked very confused. I sighed and decided to tell her what's going on.

"Sorin can't do this assignment," I admitted. "Right now, our family is going through some stuff and Sorin and I are actually staying at a friend's house to avoid the drama. He showed me the assignment and he was very upset. Can he please have an alternate assignment?"

His teacher looked very concerned but nodded. "If he wants, he can write an essay about someone he looks up to instead. I hope everything is alright."

I didn't really like the teacher's tone. That's the tone people get when they are thinking about calling someone to check in on the family and make sure that no one is being hurt. "Yeah, I made some friends with a lot of nice people and my friend's mother and step-father is letting us stay with their family. My father and I just didn't want Sorin to be put in the middle of anything."

"Oh, I see," she replied, looking very relieved. "Well, where is Sorin? Is he coming to class today?"

I shook my head. "He had a bad dream and I promised him we'd go home and make sure everyone's fine. I just want him to have a stress-free day."

The teacher smiled at me. "You are a very good older sister, Abeline. I don't usually see this level of protectiveness over one's sibling."

"Yeah, well, I guess there's a first time for everything," I responded before leaving the classroom.

* * *

><p>When I returned to Kurama's house, Sorin and Hiei were eating breakfast. Kurama had already left for work with his step-dad and his step-brother, Shuuichi, had already gone to school.<p>

"Good morning, Abeline," Shiori greeted. "I was wondering where you went."

Hiei's attention was now on me. He looked worried, like maybe I had left because of him.

"I just went to Sorin's school to talk to them about an assignment he got. But everything's okay now, because you have an alternate assignment now."

"Yay, what is it?" Sorin asked excitedly.

"You get to write about someone you look up to," I told him.

Sorin grinned and looked up at Hiei. "Can I write it about both you and Abby?" he asked innocently.

Hiei's eyes grew wide. "W-Why would you write about me?"

"Because I like you," Sorin said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"I think it's a sweet idea," Shiori stated.

"I agree," I responded.

Hiei looked unbelievably uncomfortable and nervous, but he nodded. I didn't understand why his attitude changed so much from last night.

Sorin excused himself from the table and Shiori offered to clean up, so I took Hiei to the side and asked him what was up.

"I…I am not a hero," he told me. "The boy shouldn't be writing anything like that about me. He shouldn't look up to me. I'm a killer."

"Stop saying that," I ordered. "Tell me, when was the last time you killed something for fun, and not self-defense?"

I could see Hiei thinking about it and his eyes widened. Technically the last time he had killed something for fun was at the Dark Tournament, and that still counted as self-defense. "I…"

I smiled and put my arms around him, lightly kissing his cheek. "See? Anything you've killed in the last few years was to help the human race." I started running my fingers through his hair. "You are a hero, and even if you don't think that, you are Sorin's hero. And mine too." Hiei's contemplative expression finally relaxed, but then his brow furrowed. I raised my brow at him. "What's wrong?"

"Do you regret last night?" he asked forcefully.

"Of course not," I replied, taking him by surprise by kissing his lips. "Last night was perfect. You need to stop being afraid of rejection. I will never reject you."

Hiei rested his forehead against mine and whispered, "Thank you."

* * *

><p>Later on, Sorin and I returned home. We found our parents sitting at the table and mom was crying. <em>Well, that's a new one.<em>

"Oh, hey kids," dad greeted sadly. Okay, something was up.

"What's going on, dad?" I asked.

Mother pulled Sorin into a hug and started sobbing. Dad pulled me aside. He had really bad news.

"We found out why your mother has been acting the way she has," he told me.

My brow furrowed in confusion. "Why?"

"She has had a tumor in her brain. At first it was undetected, but now it's reached terminal. They can't operate. It was interfering with her behavior, Sea Biscuit."

My eyes widened. That meant my mother and I have been hating each other for years because of some damn illness she couldn't control. "What?" I asked in a whisper.

"We were actually coming to get you," dad continued. "We are leaving for America tonight. There's a place your mother wants to go and she said she rather be hospitalized in America, where she grew up. I already called both Sorin's school and your college and they said they would forward any work so that you won't get behind."

"How did you get in contact with my teachers? They usually don't talk to parents." I know that was a stupid question, but hey, I was in shock. Sue me.

"I told them I hadn't told you yet, so you wouldn't have known. They were fine with it."

"This is unreal," I said hesitantly. Even though I couldn't stand my mother, I didn't want her to die.

"We need to leave for the airport now," dad said.

I looked alarmed. I needed to tell Hiei what was going on. If I disappeared without him knowing, then he would definitely think I was running away from him. "Can I go back to Shuichi's quickly? I need to tell Hiei."

Dad frowned. "We don't have time, Sea Biscuit. But you can call his house from the airport, okay?"

I nodded, but tried to contact Hiei. _Hiei, can you hear me? _No answer. I mentally cursed m abilities and how I still wasn't able to start a conversation. I could only hope that Kurama could relay the message to Hiei.

* * *

><p>"Hello?" Kurama greeted. "Abby? Where are you? I see. Don't worry, I'll tell him." Kurama hung up the phone and looked over to Hiei with a sad expression.<p>

"Where is she, fox?" Hiei asked, trying to hide his concern.

"She had to go to America tonight and isn't sure when she'll be back," Kurama explained. "Her mother-" But Kurama never had a chance to finish. Hiei left when he said Abby left.

* * *

><p>AN: Well, like I said, I bet no one was expecting the cancer thing. Anyway, I don't want to leave off on a chapter where Hiei thinks he's been rejected, so I'm about to work on the next chapter.


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I don't own YYH or the characters. Just my OC's

* * *

><p>I hated this. We had been in America for a week and I really missed Hiei. I was surprised that he hadn't tried to contact me after I had told Kurama what was going on. What was worse was I was watching my mother deteriorate and trying to be fine while Sorin took in the news. I kept my brother away from the hospital as much as possible.<p>

The doctors told us that mother only had about another day to live, so Sorin finally had to come to the hospital. He had tears in his eyes as mother said her goodbyes to him. Seeing as she had already said her goodbyes to dad, he took Sorin out of the room, leaving us alone.

We sat across from each other, just staring. Mom finally said something.

"I'm truly sorry for how I've treated you, Abeline," she said. I didn't respond. "I was very cruel to you and to your friend. Neither of you deserved it." She weakly lifted her hand and brushed my hair out of my face. "I'm very proud of what you have become and if this boy is the one for you, then I wish you both a lifetime of happiness." I had tears in my eyes now. This was really it; mom was really dying. I could sense her energy fading. "I love you, Abby," she said with a smile. I was about to reply and tell her that I loved her too, but it was too late. My mother was gone and I had never gotten to tell her that I loved and forgave her.

* * *

><p>"So, when is Abby coming back?" Kuwabara asked. Hiei was nearby and was actually curious about when the woman who betrayed him was returning to Japan.<p>

"I…just got off the phone with her. She'll be back tonight," Kurama said sadly. Hiei didn't understand why he would be upset about this.

"Damn," Yusuke muttered. "I hope she's okay. I guess it's over, huh?"

Hiei was starting to get frustrated. He couldn't figure out what they were talking about, but he was applying it to their relationship, angering him further. He decided to leave the temple and sped towards Abby's house. He was not about to let her off the hook for stringing him along and lying to him. In his mind, Abby had betrayed him.

* * *

><p>My room was how I had left it. It had felt like months since I stepped foot in here.<p>

"Abby, someone is here to see you," dad called to me. He hadn't called me Sea Biscuit for a few days now.

"Coming," I said sadly. When I got to the door, I sighed. "What do you want, Tsuki?"

Tsuki looked very uncomfortable and out of place. "I…I heard about what happened. I thought you might want a copy of the notes you missed, so here." He handed me a packet of his notes. I looked up at him with a confused expression etched on my features. Tsuki sighed. "Look, I give you a lot of crap, but I didn't realize your mother was dying, or that she hurt you."

I glared at him. "How the fuck did you hear about that?"

"I guess your father told mine and I overheard my parents talking about it. By the way, you shouldn't have any more trouble from my father."

My aggravation turned to rage. "So just because I lose my mother and had been hit by her before, you decide to be decent people! Screw you, Tsuki!"

Tsuki flashed an apologetic smile. "I understand," he said to her. "But I just wanted to let you know, we're here for you if you need anything."

My expression softened and I looked away from Tsuki. "Thanks, I think."

Tsuki smiled and said goodbye. Then I went back up to my room. My face lit up when I saw the one person I missed the most.

"Hiei!" I cried happily, running over to him to give him a hug. I wanted nothing more than to rest in his arms. I was shocked when he pushed me away and glared at me. Had I done something wrong? "Hiei, what's wrong?"

The next thing I knew, I was pinned to wall and Hiei looked furious. For a second, I felt fear. "W-what are you doing?" I asked nervously.

"You betrayed me," he said darkly, calling a small flame to his hand. "I do not tolerate traitors."

My eyes widened. "But…didn't Kurama tell you why I left? It had nothing to do with you."

"He didn't have to tell me. I didn't stay long enough to hear that you lied to me. You're no better than those 'heartless bitches' as you so quaintly put it and I should have done away with you when I had the chance."

I started crying again. I felt like I had done that a lot. Hiei took it as that I was crying for my life. At this point, though, I didn't care.

"Fine, kill me," I said making him falter a bit. "I don't care anymore. Besides, if the only guy I love hates me, then what does it matter if he kills me, hm? Then I'll just get to see my mother sooner rather than later."

Hiei's eyes widened in shock and his flame disappeared. I had just dumped two major things on him, but hey, it was the truth. He stepped back away from me and was about to apologize, but I was too upset to hear it and ran from my room, my home, and him.

* * *

><p>I didn't know if he was following me or not and I didn't care. I ended up at a pier. Déjà vu, right? And just like six years ago, I leaned a little too far over, as I tried to calm myself down. As I started falling, I felt strangely calm and didn't even try to save myself. I felt someone catch me, though, and started fighting whoever was trying to save me.<p>

"Let me go!" I shouted.

"Never," I heard Hiei respond.

I looked to him with my eyes full of fear and hate. "Let me go, now!" I demand. "It doesn't fucking matter anymore. You hate me; I hate me. Just let me go."

I struggled more in his grip, but he refused to let go. Then, he took me by surprise by crashing his lips onto mine. I tried to fight him as more tears streamed down my face, but then I started to calm down. He pulled away from me and wiped my tears from my face.

"I was angry," Hiei stated. "I didn't mean it."

I nodded. "I guess we're even now, huh?" I said remembering that night where I bitched him out.

Hiei shook his head. "No, we are not even," he told me. "You were trying to help me; I was trying to hurt you."

I looked away from him. He had a point. "I want to be alone, Hiei."

"Not a chance," he replied. He didn't trust me right now since, for a split second, I wanted to die. "And I don't hate you, Abby."

That was the first time he used my name and the tears returned to my eyes as I buried myself in his chest. His hand landed on my back and he started rubbing it comfortingly. I just couldn't stop crying. I lost my mother, I nearly lost Hiei, and now he was here and told me he didn't hate me. My emotions were in so much of a spin that I couldn't even think.

"Let's get you back home," Hiei whispered in my ear. I shook my head. If he brought me back, then he'd probably leave again. I didn't want to be alone now. Yup, a self-contradiction right there. Hiei must have heard my thoughts because he said, "I'll stay with you."

I pulled away from him and tried to wipe away my tears, but I was still crying so it was useless. Hiei picked me up in his strong and comforting embrace and started racing back to my house.

* * *

><p>He brought me into my room through the window, as always, and lied me down in my bed. I watched as he started going through my dresser to find pajamas for me to wear. When he did, he put them in my hands and motioned to the bathroom. I took the hint and went to get changed. I smiled when I realized he gave me my dolphin pajamas. He knew me so well.<p>

When I finished changing, I went back into my room and saw Hiei sitting on the couch. He looked like he was deep in thought, somewhere far away. I sat down next to him and took his hand.

"How can you not think I'm a monster after what I just did and said to you?" he asked me.

"You were hurt," I replied. It still hurt me, but I understood why he acted the way he did. I knew that if he had known, he wouldn't have threatened me like that.

"That's no excuse," he argued. "I was going to kill you."

"Still technically self-defense," I retorted. "You thought I left purposefully. I tried to contact you through a mental link, but it didn't go through. Then I called Kurama and told him. My mother had brain cancer, Hiei. She's had it for years and apparently her idiot doctors never caught it. It was interfering with her behavior. She didn't really hate me. She apologized for everything and told me that she was proud of me and loved me. I never got to say it back. She died right in front of me." I was crying again. I'm surprised I wasn't freaking dehydrated.

Hiei pulled me into a hug and lifted me onto his lap. He didn't say anything, but I could tell he was sorry and felt guilty. "She wished us happiness," I said in a whisper.

Hiei sighed and reluctantly said, "I'm wrong for you. I almost hurt you. I didn't even let you defend yourself and I made you feel worse than you already felt. You wanted to die. I did that to you."

"We were both hurt, Hiei," I responded. "Under normal circumstances, that wouldn't have happened. If you had known, you would not have been that angry. I'm just emotional right now, anyway. Like I said the first day I met you, I don't want to die. I was just out of my mind with grief. It had nothing to do with you."

"But I didn't help. I hurt you. That's all I ever do…hurt and destroy. You don't belong with me."

"Stop it!" I shouted not caring if my dad or brother heard me. "You didn't mean to hurt me. You saved me, and for the first time in over a week I feel a lot better just being here with you. All we can do is apologize and move on. I forgive you, Hiei. Do you forgive me?"

He looked up to me like I was crazy. "There's nothing to forgive. You did nothing wrong."

I moved so that I was now straddling him with my arms around his neck. "Neither did you," I whispered before kissing him. It took a minute but he started to kiss me back. His hands made their way up to my face and into my hair. The two of us seemed to be bearing our souls to each other. My eyes shot open when I started seeing it all: Hiei's birth, his almost murder, his life as a thief and why he chose to be a killer, his life in solitude, the surgery for the Jagan, his journey to his home, and finally the first time he saw his sister. I pulled away from him and the two of us stared at each other in silence. The look in his eyes made me realize what he saw.

He saw my childhood and how close I was to the relatives that had died, he saw my fight with my mother, my near-death experience, my loneliness especially after I moved, the hate I received from my mother and all my classmates, the day I realized I had powers and how I wanted so much to return the favor when my mother hit me, my mother's death and all my regrets, my own self-hatred, and of course the love I held for him.

"I love you," I said to him.

Hiei frowned, but not because he wasn't happy. "I don't know what love is," he admitted.

I kissed him again. "That's okay," I replied. "I'll teach you."

Hiei relaxed and cracked a grin. "Fine by me," he answered. "Now let's get you to bed. You've been through a lot."

He picked me up and gently laid me on my bed before starting to walk back over to the couch.

"Where do you think you're going?" I asked. He looked back at me, confused. I patted the bed, inviting him to come join me. He looked a little hesitant, but complied with my wishes. He took off his shirt and set it beside the bed before joining me. I pulled the blankets over us and curled up into him, tracing the muscles on his bare chest. He shivered causing me to smirk at him. It response, he put his arms around me and pulled me closer to him, my head resting against his chest. I fell asleep instantly.

* * *

><p>"Abby," I heard my name being called. When I opened my eyes, I saw dad standing over me and panicked. I looked over to the other side of my bed and saw that Hiei was still sleeping there. I looked back over to my dad nervously, but was met with my dad's smile. I hadn't seen him smile like that in days. "Breakfast will be ready shortly. You two should get up."<p>

"Y-you're okay with this?" I asked. Dad nodded.

"If he makes my little girl happy, then of course I am happy. Besides, he's a standup guy. I approve."

I blushed, but returned his smile. I was glad that dad didn't have a problem with Hiei. And I had mom's blessing too. After dad left the room, Hiei's arms went around me again.

"I can feel your sadness," he told me.

"Sorry," I mumbled.

"Don't be," he ordered lightly kissing my neck.

Next thing we knew, Sorin ran into the room and jumped into bed with us.

"Yay, daddy was right," Sorin said happily. "I missed you, Hiei." I laughed at Hiei's reaction. "I got an A on the paper I turned in. Abby helped me e-mail it to the teacher."

"Paper?" Hiei asked.

I nodded. "Remember how he said he wanted to write a paper on us and why he looked up to us and such?" Hiei thought about it for a minute before nodding. "Well, he got a good grade on it."

"Oh," Hiei replied, not knowing what else to say. I could tell he was still kicking himself for how he acted the night before, but things were fine now. Actually, they were better than fine. I was still depressed over my mother's death, but I knew that Hiei made me happy and that I'd be okay.

"Breakfast is ready!" my dad called from the kitchen.

The three of us looked at each other before heading downstairs to eat. Hiei stayed back a little bit and took my hand before following Sorin with me. I smiled. Hiei was trying, and that was enough for me.

* * *

><p>AN: Okay, so we got past the bump in the road in their relationship. I have no idea where I'm going next, but I know it will be getting into some fight action sooner rather than later. Thanks for reading.


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I don't own YYH or the characters. Just my OCs.

* * *

><p>Things started getting better, although I was still in a deep depression because of my regrets with mom. Hiei noticed and refused to leave my side in fear of what I might do. It helped that my father invited Hiei to come live with us since he noticed how happy he made me. Hiei never said thank you, but he made up for that by helping out with my brother and some housework.<p>

It became public knowledge that Hiei and I were together but no one knew who or what he was and we planned on keeping it that way. He accompanied to all my classes and my two jobs and actually helped us out at the rescue hospital. When I asked him why he was helping, he would just smirk at me and kiss my temple. I understood the meaning. He wanted to.

I still trained with Genkai and had better control over my powers. Thanks to Hiei, I had better control over my telepathic powers and now Kurama knew, but I didn't mind. He was like the older brother I never had.

"Wake up," I heard Hiei whisper in my ear before placing kisses along my neck and jaw. I loved that he was always awake before I was, just because of the wake up calls.

"I don't wanna," I mumbled, snuggling against his chest. He always felt so warm and it made me even more reluctant to move.

"You have to work," he reminded me. I sighed. He didn't mean I had to go work at the hospital. Today was a lifeguard day. Oh joy.

* * *

><p>"Hey, you two, knock it off or out of the water!" I exclaimed as a teenager and his brother both gave me the finger. They walked away but were stopped by Hiei.<p>

_What are you doing?_ I mentally shouted.

"Apologize," he said forcefully. The darkness in his voice made me and the boys shiver. In all honesty, I was glad he was on my side.

"Wh-what?" the older boy choked out.

"Apologize."

The boys looked at me and muttered quick apologies and ran away, obviously scared of the unspoken threat Hiei offered. He looked over to me and I could still see the coldness in his eyes. That coldness was the only feature that could pass for the ice world. Sometimes Yukina looked that way too (not to me, mind you).

"Thank you," I mouthed. Hiei flashed me a smirk before turning to watch the other beach goers. He seemed to be studying them. I couldn't understand why he was so fascinated by them, but then it hit me.

Hiei spent most of his life in wooded areas, not water; and he probably never did anything to relax. He always said that life in the Makai was either kill or be killed and if you were too weak to defend yourself, you deserved to perish. It was a little morbid for anyone to think that way, but hey, that was his life. It made sense now why he hated Kuwabara. Kuwabara was a nice guy and noble, but there were times where he couldn't hold his own against other opponents. Sometimes he couldn't protect himself, let alone Yukina. Hiei would mention that Yukina was stronger than Kuwabara was, which I couldn't disagree. It made me smile. Hiei was just as protective and prideful of Yukina as I was of Sorin. It really pained me to see him so distant from her when all either of them wanted was to finally be a family, to love and accept each other unconditionally.

* * *

><p>After my shift, Hiei and I went to get something to eat. We sat in an uncomfortable silence.<p>

"What?" Hiei could tell something was on my mind.

"You should tell her, you know," I replied.

Hiei closed his eyes and sighed. We had had this conversation so many times since he came to live with us. He never got angry at me for suggesting it, but I could tell that he was starting to get frustrated.

"We've already been over this, onna," Hiei stated monotonously. "I do not wish to go over it again."

"Hiei, you need to stop being afraid of her rejecting you," I told him. "She wants to know her brother. It's not fair to either of you to keep this a secret."

"You don't know-" I cut him off.

"I know that your people taught her to hate you. Why do you think she left?"

Hiei didn't respond. He just watched me with a hint of curiosity in his gaze. I had no idea why he was staring so intently. I just continued on with what I was saying. "I see how good you are with Sorin and don't think I don't notice those longing looks you give when you see the two of us together or watch Yukina. You want that bond." He still didn't say anything. "What's up?"

"How did you know why Yukina left?" he asked. "I didn't even know that."

My eyes widened. Hiei had told me that Yukina had gone looking for him and as far as he knew, that was the only reason. This was what Yukina had told me not too long ago. "Um, I just asked Yukina why she chose to leave her home," I lied. "She said that they were trying to teach her that her brother was going to show up one day and destroy the village. She didn't like that and thought they were just being cruel and she wanted to escape." It was the truth, just without the specifics.

He eyed me intensely and I could tell that he didn't trust my answer. "Really," he stated. I saw a glow from under his bandana and tensed. He was reading my mind. Curse him for not teaching me how to block my thoughts yet.

If looks could kill. He was glaring at me and for a minute, I was expecting a repeat of the night I came home from America. I could tell Hiei saw that thought as his glare softened. He quickly moved behind me and took me in his arms in comfort.

"I'm not angry at you," he explained while rubbing my shoulder. "I'm angry at the ferry girl."

"Don't hurt her," I requested.

He let out a reluctant sigh. "Fine."

"You need to tell her," I repeated. This time Hiei nodded.

"I know." For a moment, I saw fear flash through his eyes. I took his hand and rubbed it comfortingly.

"It's going to be fine," I told him.

Hiei hesitated. "Will…will she be able to forgive me?" he asked.

I looked at him, shock and disbelief written on my face. "Oh course she will, Hiei. She loves you."

"Love," he growled with uncertainty. "I still don't understand what that is."

I smirked at him a planted a kiss on his cheek. "Trust me, you will."

* * *

><p>Well, I couldn't say he didn't at least TRY to tell Yukina, but every time he was about to, he would freeze up and say something else. It was almost as if every time he looked into her eyes he would remember the hatred of his people, the struggles of his life, and the extent of his crimes. He didn't want to "taint" his innocent sister. After what happened, I could understand, but I didn't agree. He kind of still blamed himself over what happened at Sorin's school.<p>

"Hello?" I called into Sorin's nearly empty classroom. His substitute teacher was standing over Sorin and another boy with her arms crossed. "What's going on?" I asked with a frown.

"Sorin pushed me," the other boy whined. Sorin sunk down in his seat, looking sad and hurt. My eyes widened in shock about the revelation, but I found myself glaring at the other boy.

"Why? There had to be a reason. Sorin doesn't fight."

"Oh really?" the teacher said skeptically, "because as Mako went to punch him in self-defense, your brother ended up causing more damage and pinned the poor boy to the ground." My mouth dropped open as I heard her defend this other boy. Even if Sorin had pushed him, he shouldn't have tried to land a punch. I hadn't been teaching Sorin to fight, but now I was sure Hiei had and I was truly grateful.

"Don't you people always say two wrongs don't make a right?" I snapped. "Mako shouldn't have tried to punch my brother."

"So you admit you taught your brother how to fight?"

"No, I didn't, but whoever did is getting a medal."

The substitute didn't like my tone of voice. She narrowed her eyes at me and said, "I'd like to keep Sorin after school today."

"And Mako?" I pressed.

"He was the victim," the sub said with a shrug.

I shook my head and looked over to see Mako smirking and Sorin looking sad and ashamed. I frowned.

"Come on, Sorin," I said, "we're going home."

Sorin looked relieved and smiled at me and ran to get his stuff.

"What do you think you're doing?" the teacher said raising her voice at me. "He pushed my son."

I rolled my eyes. That explained so much.

"You shouldn't even be allowed to teach your son's class. I will deal with Sorin when we get home, but you need to stop being blinded by your son and see what's actually going on here. I will discuss the situation with their ACTUAL teacher who knows what's been going on and understands the situation." The teacher smirked at me. "What?" I spat.

"I know perfectly well what's going on," the sub said. "You're trying to fill the role of a mother since yours walked out on you."

"Where the hell did you hear that?" I asked angrily, my fists clenched tight as I tried to control my rage.

"My son," she replied.

I sent her little boy a cold glared and he sunk down into his seat. "Well, that just proves you don't know anything," I responded, fighting the tears from forming in my eyes. "Mom didn't walk out on us. She died and your little brat knows it."

The woman's cold expression faltered as she looked over to her son who nodded that I was telling the truth.

"I'm ready to go, Abby," Sorin said happily coming from the small locker room. Thankfully he was unaware of the conversation that transpired.

* * *

><p>Later I confronted Hiei and I could tell he felt bad, but he really had nothing to feel bad about.<p>

"I'm not mad, but why didn't you tell me you were training Sorin?"

"I just didn't think about it," Hiei admitted. "He was bored and asked me to."

I smiled, knowing that Sorin looked up to Hiei so much. "Well, it's a good think you've been teaching him, because if not, he would have been in a lot more trouble."

"I shouldn't have taught him without your permission."

"It's perfectly fine for you to have some guy bonding time," I replied. When Hiei looked away in shame, I got worried. "What's wrong?" I seem to ask that a lot.

"I didn't mean for him to start a fight."

I understood that. "He started the physical fighting part, but that other brat said something terrible to him about our mother."

"What did he say?" Hiei asked defensively.

"It's not important," I answered. "His classmates just love to torment him. But Sorin knows not to do that again. Only self-defense."

Hiei shook his head. "And you want me to tell Yukina I'm her brother."

"Yeah, but what's that got to do with anything?"

"I will taint her like I tainted your brother," he stated sadly.

I know this was probably the worst thing to do, but the way he was acting cracked me up. He raised his eyebrow at me in confusion and frustration. "You didn't 'taint' anyone, Hiei. This stuff happens sometimes. Kids always act out when they go through stuff and Sorin's been through a lot. He knows if he does it again that dad will ground him. It was just one of those days."

"It's normal?" Hiei asked.

I nodded. "You didn't know that?" Hiei shook his head. That explained so much to me. He had always thought he was evil, committing all those crimes. He didn't even realize that he was doing it because he was hurt. Man, this stuff would confuse a therapist into early retirement. "Even Yukina believes that."

He looked incredibly surprised. "She does?" Man, this poor guy was clueless.

"Um, yeah? And you really didn't know?"

"Hn," he said looking away from me with a small blush. Aw, how cute! Hiei was embarrassed.

I scooted closer to him and pecked his cheek. "Does that make you feel better?"

"Maybe," he grumbled as if reluctant to admit it.

"So will you finally tell her?"

"Yes."

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><p>AN: Hope you liked the chapter, especially all of the psychoanalysts out there. Finally a confession is coming up. Also, the whole thing about the substitute, I don't believe parents shouldn't teach their kids' classes if they are substitutes. My mom substituted for my class once in elementary school and she treated me just like everyone else. I even had to call her by her last name. It was so weird, but I loved having her as a teacher XD It's not much different from being at home. I was always being taught stuff.


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: I don't own YYH or the characters.

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><p>After Hiei had told Yukina, he was like a totally different person, but in a good way. He was happier, more relaxed and at ease in his own skin. It made me smile, even though I was still fighting a bit of a lingering depression. It's not that I wasn't happy, don't get me wrong, but I still had my regrets and I still missed my mother tremendously. I couldn't even imagine what Hiei or Yukina had been feeling all their lives. I just lost mine a few months ago and I was still an emotional wreck.<p>

"Abby," Hiei whispered in my ear, hugging me from behind. I put my laptop down on the floor and turned to embrace my fire demon.

"Hello there, firebug," I greeted back, but his face looked far from playful at the moment. He looked serious and my face fell. I knew he only got this way when something was bothering him or when he was worried about Yukina, my brother, or me. "What's wrong? You okay?"

Hiei nodded and I smiled and moved to kiss him, but he stopped me. "But Abby, you are not," he told me. "I can sense your emotions and I know that you still haven't started to heal. I am worried about you."

I loved him even more for trying to help me, but my pride hated it; so of course, I had to be a bitch, possibly hoping I'd chase him off again. "What do you want from me?" I snapped. "I can't just get over my mother's death at the drop of a pin like you did. It's all my fault. You'd never understand that."

Hiei smiled sadly, and he didn't get angry or leave. It shocked me more than you know. "I know you don't mean that," he replied. "But this is exactly what I'm talking about. Even your father and brother are worried."

"They know?" I asked in a whisper, not realizing that I just admitted he was right. I sighed. "Hiei, what do you want from me?"

"To talk," he responded. I glared at him, more so because I was confused as to why he'd want to hear anything I had to say.

"What if I don't want to talk?" I inquired. I mean, I would talk, but I wanted to know how far they'd take it. I didn't realize that I pissed off Hiei in the process.

"Your father wants to send you away to some place to get some sort of treatment…"

"You mean a psychiatric hospital?" I asked in fear. Was dad really that worried about me?

Hiei nodded, but his glare deepened. "Sorin and I don't want you to go, but he said they'd help you since you refuse to talk to anyone else."

I felt like the walls were closing in on me and was thinking that this must have been how Hiei felt when he was a baby. "Daddy wants to send me away," I said weakly. When I heard my own voice, it sounded like that of a scared child. Hiei heard it too, and tried to get me to stop crying. "I should have known he'd hate me for being so mean to Mom. I should have just done it that night. It would have saved everyone so much trouble."

I started sobbing and Hiei held me tight. "Don't say that, Abby," he whispered. "Don't even fucking say that."

"But it's true," I replied. "Everyone would be better off."

Hiei forced me to look at him. He had such an intense glint in his eyes. "I wouldn't be," he admitted. "If not for you, Yukina would still never know and I would still be out committing crimes for fun. I'd still be alone and I would say I don't care, ignoring whatever emotions I have. You changed me."

"Stop," I said not wanting to hear anything good about myself right now.

"No," Hiei replied placing light kisses on my cheek. "You're an amazing woman, Abby," he whispered softly in my ear. "You're brave and kind. You do so much good every day. You taught me what love is…how to love. That's probably the most impressive thing you have done."

"Hiei?" I breathed in surprise. Could this really be the time where he can actually say it?

"I love you, Abby," he said nuzzling against my neck. "And it pains me to see you hurt and hear you say that you wish I hadn't saved you that day, because I'm so thankful I got to you in time. If I hadn't, it would have destroyed me, knowing that I had pushed you so far."

I couldn't believe it, but so many issues were being resolved for me when he admitted this. I had forgiven him, but the pain still stayed with me. I was still grieving over the loss of my mother, but I could tell the issues I had had more to do with Hiei and what had happened that night.

I did the only thing I could do at this point. I just started crying into his chest. He didn't seem to care so much as he ran his fingers through my hair. "Sh," he cooed sweetly. "Everything is fine now."

I nodded, because I truly believed him. "I know," I replied. "I know."

Then I tensed again. "What's wrong?" he asked in concern.

"Is my dad still going to send me away?" I asked, fresh tears forming.

Hiei surprised me as he started kissing my tears away. Sometimes I forgot he hated seeing women cry. Must have been something that stemmed from his mother and sister being ice maidens and his sister being kidnapped for her tears.

"Of course he won't," Hiei said comfortingly. "But you need to work with us."

I sighed and hesitantly asked, "What do you want to know?"

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><p>"So, Sea Biscuit, where are you two off to today?" my dad greeted when I came downstairs after my shower. It was my day off and Hiei and I were going to Genkai's again, for the first time not to train.<p>

"Just to visit his sister," I told him.

"Ooo," Sorin said, "can I come? I want to see Yukina!"

I chuckled and saw Hiei smirking in amusement. My little brother and his sister had become really good friends and Sorin actually grew a little bit of a protective nature. I had to admit, we were a bizarre family.

"Dad?" I questioned.

"I don't see why not, although I think I'd like to meet her too. Why don't we make it a family outing, huh?"

Sorin liked the idea, but both Hiei and I grew nervous. If he came with us, we would have to explain well, everything. That meant everything about my powers, Genkai, training, and the fact that I was friends with and dating demons. I didn't know how well that would go over.

"Um, I guess?" I said in question form.

Hiei sighed, but nodded. He must have gotten in touch with Kurama to warn him about dad joining us. I was going to tell him when we got there, but I was going to need all the support I could get. This was going to be interesting.

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><p>"Brother," Yukina greeted happily, nearly tackling Hiei in the process. The two of them smiled at each other as Hiei hugged her back. It warmed my heart seeing them together after so many years of being separated.<p>

"Good to see you, Yukina," he said softly.

"Oh, who's this?" Yukina asked looking over to my dad.

"This is my dad," I said motioning to him. I turned to face him. "Dad, this is Yukina, Hiei's twin sister."

My dad looked a little confused and I could tell that he was trying to figure out why, even as fraternal twins, they looked so different from the other. Whelp, he would know by the end of the day, about everything; and thankfully, the others were okay with it.

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><p>Later that day, I was mentally preparing myself to tell my dad everything. Kurama appeared behind me, making me jump.<p>

"Nervous?" Kurama asked teasingly.

I glared at him. "What do you think?" I snapped, though I only made him chuckle.

"It will be fine," he told me.

I "hmph'ed" just like Hiei always did and retorted saying, "From the guy who won't tell his mother he's a demon?"

Kurama smiled at me. "Who said I haven't told her?"

I looked at him like he was nuts. The last I heard, he was still keeping his double life a secret.

"So Hiei didn't tell you, I'm guessing," he said. "After he told Yukina the truth, I decided to tell my mother the truth. Secrets like these could make or break a family, and I didn't want to deal with the fallout of her finding out on her own."

"So…everything worked out then?" I asked hopefully.

"Yes," Kurama replied. "In fact, tomorrow my family will be coming to visit the temple."

I was still in shock, but I realized that if Shiori could take the news gracefully, my dad would too.

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><p>"Dad?" I called out.<p>

He looked over to me and smiled. "You don't have to tell me," he said before I could say anything. My mouth dropped open in shock. "You didn't think your ten year old brother would keep this story to himself, did you?" I mentally smacked my forehead. I honestly hadn't thought about it. "He told me a while ago and I believe it was just a story. Then Hiei showed up out of nowhere, in your room, and no one had come through the door that night, but the window was open so I knew something was up. Then I overheard the two of you talking one night, and I was waiting for you to willingly include me, hence why I suggested coming here with you all."

Damn, my dad was smart. "So you already knew?" I asked, even though it was stupid question because he just said it. When he nodded, I smiled a bit. "Sorry I didn't tell you sooner."

"It's alright, Abby," he replied motioning for me to go and sit by him. I did and he put his arm around me to hug me. "I understand; believe me, I do. My only concern now is that you're still hurting from grief. I'm worried about you."

"Everyone keeps saying that," I sighed. "Look, dad…I just miss mom. She and I…" I hesitated and took a deep breath. "She and I didn't get along for a while. There were times where I'd wish she'd just disappear for a day or two just so I could get a break. I wanted her to be like she used to and I told myself that I hated her for so long. And then I lost her…" I couldn't stop myself from crying, even though I had been holding it in for months. Guess something finally broke. "I didn't even get to tell her I loved her before she died."

My dad hugged me as I continued to sob uncontrollably. I sensed Hiei and Yukina come in and felt the worry radiating off them both. I just couldn't help it.

"It's alright, Sea Biscuit," dad said while stroking my hair. "Your mother knew. She never stopped knowing. She will always be watching out for you, no matter what. Abby…" I looked up at him as he wiped my tears away. "Don't cry anymore. Your mother wouldn't want to see her little lady's face all red and puffy."

I couldn't help but chuckle and I started choking back my tears. "No, she wouldn't, would she?" I asked wiping the remainder of my tears away. I sighed. "Dad, I miss her."

"I do too," he admitted. I could see the sadness in his eyes. I realized that I made him worry on top of him having to deal with the loss of his wife. That must have been horrible for him to go through.

"I'm sorry, dad, I didn't mean to make you worry."

He smiled at me. "It's okay. I knew you would come to me eventually." He looked over to Hiei and Yukina and smiled wider. "Until then, I knew you were in good hands."

I turned, and finally acknowledged my boyfriend and his sister with a small smile. Hiei returned my smile and nodded at me. I was so thankful to have everyone here in my life. They had helped me through so much. For the first time in the longest time, I felt like the weight of the world had been lifted off my shoulders.

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><p>AN: Happy Easter, everyone. I hope you had a joyous day full of hope and family, like this chapter ^_^


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: I don't own YYH or the characters…if I did, I wouldn't be writing fanfiction *nods*

Sorry for taking forever to update, but the end of the semester was nuts and I can't remember if I said that I injured myself. *shrugs* Oh well. I have no regrets because as I wait for one more grade, I have one B in physics and the rest A's, so I'm happy. Now that it's summer, and I will be getting knee surgery, that means more updates for you :)

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><p>Things were going really well for me after my father told me he knew. I didn't have to sneak around. Sometimes he even drove us so we didn't have to take a train. The semester was winding down, as well, which was good because if I had to read anymore from a textbook, I think I'd want to rip my eyes out. Although, I was very testy as I studied for my finals. Hiei didn't really understand why, but he accepted my behavior when I told him that the only thing stopping me from being a volunteer to officially making this my job was a degree. After that, he dropped it and even tried to help me study.<p>

"I don't understand this stuff," Hiei told her while looking at the organic chemistry book.

"Join the club," I muttered. "I just want a B at least in this class. I'm telling you it's made up."

Hiei chuckled. "Hn. Humans make everything more complicated."

"Tell me about it," I replied. "I mean seriously. I'm taking this class because it's required, but it has nothing to do with my degree." I shook my head. Don't get me wrong, I liked chemistry, but organic is seriously just a bunch of made up equations we had to memorize. How was that gonna help protect sea creatures?

"So, when is all of this over?" Hiei asked. He wanted the summer to come just as much as I did. Then we could train more and spend more time together with my brother and his sister, although Sorin still had a few more weeks of school after me.

"Next Thursday is my last final, thank goodness," I explained. I smirked and leaned against him. "Then I'm all yours."

He returned my smirk. "Oh really?" Then he did something that surprised me. He licked my neck.

I had no idea what was going on so I pushed him away. "What the heck was that?" I asked nervously.

Hiei looked a little confused and hurt and then looked away from me. "Hn," he muttered, which I took as an "I'm sorry."

My facial expression softened a bit. "Just tell me why you licked me," I pleaded.

"I forget sometimes that you are not a demon," he admitted. I took that as a complement since that meant he didn't think I was weak. "It's nothing."

"If you don't tell me I'll either force my way into you mind or ask Kurama," I said giving him an ultimatum. "Your call."

"Fine!" he snapped. "I was asking you to be my mate!" With that, Hiei stormed off.

I sighed. If I had known, I wouldn't have been so freaked out. In fact, I would have returned his gesture. We were both in love with each other and I couldn't imagine being with anyone else, even if they weren't a bipolar fire demon.

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><p>I finished my studying over the next few hours and then got into bed, hoping Hiei would come back. I didn't even do anything to chase him off this time. Seriously, I couldn't win with him at times.<p>

I was already asleep when he came back, but I'm sure he noticed that I cried myself to sleep that night. I was pretty sure that he hated me now for accidently rejecting him. I didn't even wake up when he got into bed.

"Abby," he whispered. My eyes twitched, but I didn't respond. "Abby, get up," he said a little louder.

My eyes snapped opened and I shot up, gasping for air. I had just had a terrible nightmare, one that I wouldn't be sharing for a long time. I turned to face him and forced myself to choke back tears of joy. I latched onto him and laughed, trying to hide the fact that I was crying, but he knew. I felt his hand in my hair, gently stroking in attempts to calm me down.

I looked up into his eyes with my tearstained ones as he returned my stare with his slightly confused and apologetic gaze. I wanted him to know that I wanted to accept his request to be mates, so I took him by surprise when I licked his neck. I stared at his face to gage his reaction. He was shocked, stunned into silence, but then relaxed as he repeated his earlier action, much slower than before. I had to bite my lip to avoid sighing in contentment as his repetitively kissed my neck. He stopped though and I glared at him. I knew why he was stopping, though.

"Get some sleep, onna," he said with a small smile plastered on his face. "You have a test early in the morning."

"Don't remind me," I said bitterly making him shake with silent laughter. I smiled as he put his arms around me and pulled me close to him. I fell asleep to the gentle breathing of my future mate.

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><p>"Abby, Hiei, get up!" Sorin said jumping on us in the morning. I was thankful for my little alarm clock.<p>

"We're up," Hiei breathed out as he woke up. I noticed that ever since most of our problems had been resolved, he slept more, or at least became more relaxed. It was a change from when I first met him. Maybe he never slept for long periods of time before he met me. Maybe he just didn't trust anyone before me. Either way, I was incredibly happy with the change.

The final was challenging, but I knew I aced it by the time I was done and then I left the building and grabbed my bike.

"Abeline, wait up!" I turned to see Tsuki headed my way.

"Yeah?" I asked monotonously. Yeah, he apologized, but that didn't mean we had to become best friends or anything.

He sighed. "I just wanted to let you know that I'm having an end of the year party this weekend and you're welcome to come. It's a pool party at my house."

I thought about it for a moment, but I decided that I'd rather go train at Genkai's and celebrate with my friends and family. "Sorry, but I'm already doing something this weekend with mine and Hiei's friends and family. Another time."

"You could all come to the pool party," he said with a genuine smile. "What do you think?"

"I guess I'll think about it," I told him. "I'll let you know."

He smiled and ran off, waving back as he left. It was interesting seeing as we hated each other a few months ago for many, many years. I figured I would tell Hiei, but also say that I really didn't want to go. Like I said, I'd rather be with a family and that's what we all were, a family.

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><p>I got home and found my father and Hiei doing some yard work. When my father saw me, he nodded over to Hiei, I'm guessing that he could take a break, and my firebug came over to me and motioned for us to go inside.<p>

I made some lunch for myself since he had already eaten with dad. I didn't even need to bring up the pool party as Hiei had already read my thoughts.

"We should all go," he said resulting in me nearly choking on my food.

"Repeat that," I said with a hoarse voice, still coughing from my lungs being irritated by food.

"We should go," he repeated. "All of us."

"Why the hell would you ever want to go to a human pool party? I mean humans, water…aren't those like your two least favorite things?"

Hiei moved behind me and started nuzzling against my neck in the spot where he licked me the previous night. I gasped when I felt him because it felt more sensitive. I knew I would have to ask him about that later. "I fell in love with a human," he reminded me, "and she just happens to love the water. I think I can put up with humans and water for another night, don't you?"

"Mm-hm," I sighed as he started kissing my neck. This time I stopped him. "Let me go put my bag upstairs."

Hiei growled, but when I looked at him, he looked amused. I smirked and winked at him before high-tailing it from the kitchen.

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><p>I started getting my textbooks together to sell back since finals were over and got lost in thought while doing so. It was still strange that Hiei would want to go to Tsuki's party after everything he knew about the guy. I had told him before how he used to hit on me and how he and his father gave me problems. Maybe Hiei wanted to "talk to" Tsuki, which wouldn't surprise me. But then that made me think…why would Tsuki want to invite me to his party? We were on speaking terms, yeah, but we were far from friends. And to allow Hiei and our friends who he didn't know to come…what was his game?<p>

Well, I got my answer when my eyes caught a glance at my tabletop calendar. I nearly fainted when I saw what this weekend was…Mother's Day. I doubled over and grasped onto my desk chair. With all the studying and finals, I had completely forgotten. That was why everyone was trying to distract me, maybe by forcing me to have fun. I wouldn't even have known. I mean, it's not like I had seen commercials for it since I had been studying, training, and spending time with Hiei and Sorin.

Now I just wanted to run, as far away from the house as possible. I'd be back, but I just needed to be alone for the moment…something Hiei never liked me to be ever since that night I nearly fell.

I took a move from his book and decided to climb out my window, grab my bike, and go as far as my legs would take me.

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><p>I decided to stop by the rescue hospital and saw that it was closed up for the day. I knew how to get in, though, and saw that it wasn't completely devoid of life. The dolphin I had helped rescue was in trouble, and the fishermen that worked for Tsuki's father were the cause.<p>

"What the hell are you doing?" I shouted angrily. "Get the hell away from that dolphin!"

"Oh look, it's the little bitch that made our boss go soft," one of the men taunted. He sounded drunk and stupid. Why am I not surprised?

"I won't tell you again," I said in a dark whisper. "Leave her alone!"

The men surrounded me and I noticed how outnumbered I was, not like I wasn't usually. There were three guys that all smelled of alcohol. Then I thought to what they said about Tsuki's father. He went soft? Did that mean he finally started treating the creatures of the sea with the kindness and respect they deserved? I smiled at the thought and didn't see the predatory glances I was getting from the men. I dodged when one tried to grab me, but another caught me.

All I remember before blacking out was calling out for Hiei verbally and mentally.

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><p>Hiei was worried. He had gone up to check on Abeline when she hadn't come down. The room was empty and the only way she could have gotten around him was by going out the window and concealing her energy. The only hint he had that she was upset was the textbooks on the floor and the calendar page next to the textbooks. Hiei now knew that she knew.<p>

It had been her father's idea to keep the whole "holiday" away from her. Sorin didn't have a choice since he was surrounded by children making cards for their mothers. Abby was so busy, though, that there was no way she would have remembered, and with all the problems she had had, her father wanted to keep it that way.

Hiei so desperately wanted to remind her because he knew she would have to face it sooner or later, and when she did, he would be there to support her. Now she was upset and who knew where, not thinking and most likely getting herself into more trouble. Hiei didn't wait. Abby may have covered her energy, but her scent was still fresh around him. Maybe he'd be able to track her that way.

He had been right outside the hospital when he heard the desperate shout of his name.

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><p>I couldn't remember a time where I was more relieved and happy to see Hiei other than when I returned home from America. When I opened my eyes, the other guys were unconscious and Hiei was holding my head in his lap.<p>

"Hey, firebug," I whispered with a smile on my face.

"What were you thinking, onna?" he asked me gently, and I could hear in his voice how worried he was.

I felt his hands brush my bangs away from my forehead as he traced comforting circles atop my head.

"We need to call the cops," I told him. He nodded. He watched me weakly reach for my cell phone before picking it up himself and dialing my contact at the police department.

"_Officer Lynn,_" I heard off the phone. Hiei at first said nothing. "_Abby?_"

"Get to the rescue center now," Hiei demanded before hanging up the phone. I chuckled at his antics. I definitely needed to work on his people skills before the party.

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><p>When Officer Lynn got there, she almost thought that Hiei was the one who broke in and attacked, but when I refused to let go of him, she knew he was my rescuer. She ended up arresting the other three as they woke up and then asked if I needed any medical attention.<p>

"No," I replied honestly. "I just passed out from stress, I'm sure. I just want to go home." Odd since I wanted so much to get away an hour ago.

I officially introduced her to Hiei and told her that he was my boyfriend and had gotten me away from the fishermen. I also told her that Tsuki's dad wasn't responsible for the attack and that they were actually mad at him. She made a note of it and left Hiei and me alone to check on damages and lock up.

I went over to the dolphin and pet her head. She chirped at me, letting me know that she was alright.

"Are you alright?" Hiei asked, though he wasn't asking about the three thugs that attacked the hospital.

"Why didn't anyone tell me?" I asked him. "I mean, I would at least expect you to say something."

"I wanted to," Hiei admitted, hugging me from behind. "Your father didn't want to bring this weekend to your attention. He thought it would be worse for you."

"As opposed to me finding it out on my own looking at a calendar?" I sighed. "I…I still miss her."

"I know," Hiei said against my neck. "I should have warned you. Do you still want to go to the party?"

I shook my head. "Not really, but I guess I should. I don't know."

Hiei spun me around to face him. He smirked at my surprise before pulling me in for a kiss. It felt different from our other kisses. It was relaxed but firm, passionate but playful; it was full of love and comfort. I instantly felt better. Then out of nowhere, the two of us were splashed by the dolphin in the pool.

Hiei glared at the dolphin. "That thing is lucky you care about it so much."

I laughed and kissed his cheek. "You know, maybe we'll skip the pool party and do something special with the others."

"What do you have in mind?" Hiei asked.

"Genkai lives near a beach, right?" Hiei nodded. "Let's have a beach party. It's a private beach, so we won't have to deal with crowds. It'll be perfect."

Hiei nodded in agreement and smirked at me. "Whatever you want, onna. I'll let the others know."

"Did I ever tell you how wonderful you are?" I sighed dreamily.

Hiei smiled, but didn't say anything. Instead he started leading me out of the hospital, locking it up. He came over to me on the sidewalk and took my hand in his, lacing our fingers together. I looked from our entwined hands to his loving gaze. For that short moment, I didn't even remember what I was so upset about in the first place.

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><p>AN: I wasn't even planning the Mother's Day thing until, well today. Anyway, I hope the chapter ended on enough of a happy note…wouldn't want to depress everyone unlike the TV shows and movies on tonight…I mean really -_-


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: I don't own YYH or the characters. Just my OCs

Alright, sorry for the massive updates and no new chapters (I was proofreading the story because I dislike mistakes XD). Also, it has been a while, but I did get the knee surgery a week and a half ago, so there were days where I wanted nothing to do with the computer. So enough excuses…

I'm dedicating this chapter to Your Guardian Angel In The Sky. Thanks for keeping me entertained the last few days. Our conversations cracked me up a lot. I hope you and everyone else enjoys the chapter.

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><p>The weekend came and we all took a trip to Genkai's home. Everyone came, even my father, Kurama's family, and Kuwabara's sister who I had yet to meet. I also got to meet the "ferry girl" Hiei was pissed off at for spilling to Yukina. Well, he wasn't as pissed off anymore…kind of. When he went to confront her, I massaged his shoulders in a way that I knew would bring him to his knees. Yup, I could play dirty. He promised me that he would get me for it later. I shrugged. I really wasn't all that worried. He wouldn't hurt his future mate.<p>

Sorin did get along with the others and, of course, Kurama's younger brother, but he was glued to Hiei's side. He even tried copying some of his mannerisms. Hiei was more at ease, now, about Sorin's attachment to him. I think he was starting to love my little brother too, just as I loved his sister.

Yukina and I were sitting on the beach with Keiko, Botan, and Shizuru. Everyone was asking me questions about Hiei and I and our relationship. I knew Hiei wouldn't like me giving details and I didn't really know the girls well enough. I told them that I don't kiss and tell, and they decided to leave it alone. Besides, Yukina knew enough. She was the one I went to for girl talk nowadays.

I looked out into the water and was a little surprised to see Hiei swimming _in the water_, but when I saw Sorin swimming around him, I knew. Sorin either wanted to go swimming and dragged Hiei along, or Hiei went just to be able to protect him in case something happened. As soon as Hiei became my one and only, he saw my family as his. I knew he would defend us no matter what.

"Hiei, look at me!" Sorin cheered. "I'm a shark!" Sorin made the cutest little shark faces.

Hiei chuckled and swam closer to him. "I can see that."

I smiled as I saw both Hiei and Sorin look over to Kuwabara who was fighting with Yusuke about something. Sorin winked at Hiei and then dove under the water. Hiei nearly panicked, but both of us saw Sorin's shadow move towards Kuwabara. I don't know what he did, but the big softie started screaming his head off and searching around the water. I looked back to Hiei and Sorin was already back there with him, smiling. Hiei found Kuwabara's predicament very amusing and ruffled Sorin's hair a bit. I had to admit, where it was a little mean, it was cute that Sorin did that just to get a laugh out of Hiei. Though, now I was wondering…Sorin had that dream about mom way back when and he was right about her being sick. Now he moved so fast, I don't know. I was starting to wonder if my brother had spiritual awareness too.

* * *

><p>Later, we made a small campfire on the beach. Sorin was a little cold and came over to me and Hiei wearing a hoodie Yusuke put over him. Hiei was sitting on a rock behind me and I was leaning against his legs with his hand in my hair. When Sorin plopped down on my lap, I hugged him and he reached for Hiei. I looked to Hiei hopefully and he slid down the rock to hold both of us to him.<p>

_I love you, _I communicated to him.

I was answered with a smirk and a kiss to my temple. _You too, Abby. _I shivered with excitement. God, I loved it when he said my name. He obviously heard that thought because when everyone was distracted making s'mores and Sorin fell asleep in my arms, Hiei started kissing and licking that tender spot on my neck from his lick and on my shoulders. I really wished we were alone right now.

Kurama did look over to us at one point. I blushed while Hiei glared at him, but my firebug continued showering me with attention. My brain was on overload. I saw, through hazy eyes, that Kurama was chuckling and suggested that we all get some sleep.

Hiei stopped momentarily as he helped me up in such a way that I wouldn't wake Sorin up. My dad offered to take him, but I told him that Hiei and I could take care of it. Sorin and Shuuichi were going to be sharing a room, so Hiei and I brought him to that room and placed him in bed. Hiei beat me to the part where we were going to pull the blanket up to his neck and tuck him in. Hiei always seemed to enjoy that part, though I didn't know why. Maybe it was because he hadn't had that when he was younger. For that one moment, I could see that Hiei would be a good father. My eyes widened as I thought this. I blushed, but calmed myself down before Hiei noticed.

He turned back to me and held his hand out to me. I took it and he pulled me closer to him. I could feel heat radiating off of his body. I didn't know why, but I did know that something was definitely happening between us. He ran his fingers through my hair before pulling away with a teasing smirk. I smiled and shook my head. He was toying with me. Well, some things never change.

* * *

><p>The two of us walked over to the room across the hall. We kept a little room in between us because Kuwabara and Yusuke were still in the hall. I learned from being around them to NEVER say anything about my relationship with Hiei.<p>

When we got into the room and shut the door, Hiei came up behind me and nuzzled my neck. He teased that tender spot on my neck by occasionally darting his tongue at it. I sucked in some air and felt him smirking against my neck. "Abby," he whispered against my skin. I shivered again. "Abby, I want you to be my mate. I can't wait any longer. I need you."

I nodded in response. My voice wasn't really working at the moment. Hiei understood and lied me down on the bed. I stared up at him with loving eyes. He was looking back at me with equal intensity.

"I need to explain some things to you," he said in a deep voice. He was trying his best not to ruin the mood, but we both knew I needed to more about demon mating. "This is not reversible. If you say 'yes,' then I will be marking you and you will be stuck with me and only me, as I will be with you. We will be connected, always able to feel the other's presence in our life. Also, demons are more animalistic than humans. Be ready for anything. And-" I placed my finger to his lips.

"There is no one else that I'd rather be with, Hiei." I meant it. Whether it was a day or forever, I wanted to be his mate. I didn't care about anything else.

He let out a small chuckle and cracked a grin. "Well, then," he said before I felt his lips against mine again. I couldn't believe that it was finally happening. Everything had fallen into place, and I was excited in knowing that by the end of the night, my firebug and I would be bound together for the rest of our lives.

* * *

><p>Morning came and I was exhausted. I almost didn't want to get up. Well, I found that I couldn't because Hiei had a tight hold on me. His face was a little more troubled, though I knew it had nothing to do with me. He was probably dreaming about his past and those women from his and Yukina's homeland. Well, he didn't need to worry about that anymore. I wasn't going anywhere. For safe measure, nipped his tense jaw with kisses and he relaxed, but his grip on me stayed. Eh well, I didn't mind. It just gave me an excuse to fall back to sleep.<p>

Both Hiei and I were woken up later by Sorin knocking on the door. "Hiei, Abby! Why is the door locked?" he whined.

I looked at Hiei with a light blush dusting my cheeks. He just smirked and kissed my lips quickly before getting up to get dressed just as quickly. I followed his lead and then opened the door to let Sorin in.

"Hey little guy, good morning," I greeted my brother.

He pouted and then asked again, "Why was the door locked? I couldn't get in."

"I must have locked it last night without thinking," Hiei spoke up. Thank God he said something.

Sorin's pout went away as he jumped on Hiei. "That's okay, big brother. But don't lock the door anymore, okay?"

"I'll keep that in mind," Hiei replied. "We're going to get dressed now. Why don't you go find Yukina and see how she's doing for me, okay?"

"Okay!" Sorin chimed happily before running out of the room.

I embraced Hiei from behind and whispered in his ear, "Thanks for that. I don't want to be the one to give him 'the talk' yet."

"Of course," Hiei replied in a seductive voice. "Well, we better get cleaned up before he comes back. I don't want to explain to Yusuke or Kurama why you smell of me. Besides, the mark on your neck is pretty self-explanatory." He was right, but I wanted to know more about these marks. Mine was a little bit more sensitive to the touch. I decided to test the waters and nipped at the mark on his neck. Hiei let out a growl and then pulled away from me. I looked at him, a little bit of confusion and hurt shining in my eyes.

He just smirked at me. "You don't want to start something if your brother comes back."

I just blushed at his insinuation. He chuckled, grabbed some clothes, and left for the bathroom. I just sat down and waited for my turn. He was right. I didn't want to start something, at least not right now.

I finished my shower and went into the kitchen to meet everyone for breakfast. I saw my dad talking to Hiei while Sorin was talking to Yukina. Kuwabara was irritated that Sorin took his spot next to Yukina. I almost laughed at his expression. Even better, I grabbed the remaining seat next to Yukina, just so I could sit next to Hiei. Kuwabara must have thought we were conspiring against him. Truth was we were just messing with him.

* * *

><p>Later, my dad came over to me. "So, you two are officially together together, huh?"<p>

I blushed at the fact that he knew. I was about to ask how he knew, but he beat me to it. "Hiei mentioned it. He said he knows he jumped the gun on human customs, but he wanted to ask my permission." My father laughed a bit. "As if that would stop you, huh, Sea Biscuit?"

I couldn't help but laugh. He was right. Whether he gave his permission or not, I would have said yes to Hiei anyway.

"It's a good thing I said it was fine," my dad continued. "I think you two are good for each other. Besides, I like him and I know he'd never hurt you. He said this mating thing is more binding than a marriage so I don't expect this ending in divorce or anything."

My dad had to stop with the jokes. They were cracking me up. Eh, I was probably still on my happy high. I looked over to Hiei on the other side of the room. He was talking with Kurama but flashed me a smirk. I winked at him and his smirk became a grin, showing his fangs a bit. My heart fluttered but not because of us visibly flirting in front of everyone. I thought it was the sweetest thing that Hiei actually wanted to ask my dad for permission to me with me. Little did I know, there was more to it than that.

* * *

><p>AN: Well, there you have it. They're mates now. YAY! Next chapter it'll get even better, and then the chapter after that…well, what's a YYH story without some action?


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: I don't own YYH or the characters.

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><p>The summer went by quickly and I was far from ready for it to end. It had been a miracle to me that I had been this happy despite all of the drama that happened over the years. I loved waking up in Hiei's arms feeling warm and loved. I was surprised that he adjusted himself to a human life so quickly. I mean, sure, he had been staying with me, but he spent more time away from me during the day. Now, he seemed to be attached to me even more than before. Maybe it was because we were mates; I don't know. I was just happy that he seemed happier too.<p>

"You two are perfect for each other," Yukina told me one day. "Even when I didn't know that he was my brother, I could tell he was never truly happy. I never understood why back then until Botan slipped up." She frowned before continuing. "I'm still furious with the other Ice Maidens for doing that to him. So many years of him being hurt and angry all the time."

"Even when I met him," I told her, "he didn't seem like the friendliest person around. I would take jabs at his character, and I could always tell that whenever I generalized about men or said something about women not wanting to be around him…well, I never picked up on the true issue until you told me. Then I just felt guilty. I had never meant to hurt him."

"I think he's over that, Abby," Yukina said with a smile. "Even if he doesn't always show it, I can see his eyes light up every time you enter a room." I hid my smiled, but I knew what she meant. He truly lit up my world too.

Yukina left the room to go take care of something, and I moved to sip my tea. I felt two arms snake around me and I instantly knew who it was. "How long have you been listening in, firebug?"

"Long enough," he breathed against my mark. I shivered a bit. I finally knew why it seemed more sensitive that even a breath could elicit such a reaction. Hiei had explained that it had something to do with our bond with one another. The stronger our bond was, the more sensitive our marks. Seeing as it was pretty damn sensitive, I'd say that Hiei and I had a really good connection.

"So, is Yukina right?" I asked in a whisper. "Are you really over everything I said and did?"

"You never did anything," he replied softly. "I did. Can you tell me you're over that?"

I nodded, knowing what he was talking about. I had been over that for a while now. "I am," I admitted to him.

"Then I am as well," he said seriously. "I guess that it is obvious to my sister how happy you make me, hm?"

"You make me happy too," I told him. _Very, very happy._

I felt him smirk against my mark. "Good to know, onna. Very good to know."

We sat in silence as I finished off my tea. I sighed in contentment as I felt Hiei's hands rubbing against my stomach. He was being so gentle, which was strange because he was usually pretty aggressive when it came to physical contact. I was about to ask him about his change in attitude, but he disappeared just as quickly as he came, probably looking for Yukina.

* * *

><p>I later figured out why he was restraining himself from his demonic instincts. We had been mates for quite some time, and with all of the training and dealing with my two jobs, I hadn't realized that I was late. At the time, I hadn't figured out that Hiei knew, so I secretly purchased a pregnancy test. The only one I told was Yukina, mostly because I was nervous and wanted the support. When the test read positive, Yukina and I shared a sisterly hug at the happy news. I was both excited and shocked; I was having Hiei's child.<p>

Of course, I had to tell Hiei next, so I stayed at Genkai's until he came looking for me. I didn't want to risk running into my dad and brother first. I wouldn't have been able to wait to tell them if I saw them first. I rested against a tree and waited for him to show up. When I heard a rustle in the branches above, I knew he was there.

"Hey, firebug," I greeted with a smile on my face.

"You didn't come home," Hiei pointed out. "Why?"

"I have something to tell you," I explained motioning for him to sit next to me. He joined me on the ground, and I took a deep breath. I knew I was excited, but I didn't know how Hiei would feel about it. "I don't really know how to give one of these speeches, but I feel you should know…" I paused briefly and then Hiei took over from there.

"You're pregnant," he stated as if he already knew. I looked over to him in shock and saw him smirking at me. "About time you figured it out, onna."

I was flabbergasted. "Wha…How? What the hell, Hiei?" I whined. All I got was a chuckle and a kiss on my forehead. It took a few minutes to regain my composure before I sent a glare his way. "You knew?"

He nodded. "I sensed its energy a week ago."

"And you didn't tell me?" I asked in frustration.

He just smirked at me again. "I was waiting for you to realize it. Isn't it usually the human female who finds out first?"

I blinked a few times in shock. Hiei had been keeping quiet for my benefit? I had to admit, that was kind of sweet. I wasn't truly angry with him, so I let my little façade die and smiled at my mate. "So, how do you feel about it?"

Hiei shrugged. "I never planned on being a father," he told me. "With the past I held, I just never saw it happening. With my upbringing…I never wanted to bring a child into the world."

"All of that aside," I said a little hesitantly, "how do you feel about it, especially being with a human and all?"

"That none of that stuff matters," he stated. "My past, I mean. It won't affect the child in any way. It won't have the same upbringing I did. I'll make sure of it, and I know you will too."

I smiled. That was as close to he was happy and wanted the child that I was going to get. I wrapped my arms around him and he held me close to him. "You're going to make a great father," I whispered. His grip on me just tightened. I peeked up at his face to see his eyes closed and a faint smile on his face.

* * *

><p>It wasn't too difficult to tell my father; however, when we told Sorin, my father finally had to give him "the talk" (poor dad). Of course we told Kurama and his family, who were just as happy for us as my dad, brother, and Yukina. Yusuke and Kuwabara made jokes every five seconds, which usually ended up in them getting slapped by either Hiei, Genkai, or me, and scolded by either Yukina or Kurama. I still remember the day both Yusuke and Kuwabara found out.<p>

They were both the last to know. I was training with them after Hiei sparred with me for a while. They kept making jokes about him going easy on me, which he was because he feared he'd harm our child. Hiei growled at them, but went inside to get me something to drink after such an intense session (even though he went easy on me, that didn't mean he didn't tire me out). Anyway, Yusuke challenged me and I thought nothing of it. But he hadn't gone easy on me. He almost kneed me in the stomach, but Hiei had him pinned to the ground before he even touched me.

"What the hell, Hiei?" Yusuke shouted. "You know I wasn't going to hurt her!"

"She's pregnant, you idiot!" Hiei shouted. "And you almost hit her in the stomach!"

Yusuke looked blankly between Hiei and me. It took a little while for him to register what Hiei had said before he chuckled nervously and apologized to me. The battle was officially ended, and both teens ran off to hide somewhere leaving me and Hiei alone.

"Idiots," he grumbled.

It took all my strength not to let out a giggle. I walked over to him and put my arms around his shoulders. "I guess that's what we get for keeping it a secret from them. But I'm fine; so don't worry, okay?" Hiei flashed me a forceless glare, so I knew he was by no means mad at my comment, but more at himself for leaving me alone with the ex-spirit detective. "Nothing is going to happen to me or the baby."

"You better be right about that," Hiei growled, "or there will be one less half-breed and human running around."

I couldn't help but shake my head and smile. "You know Yukina wouldn't like that."

"Hn," he replied dropping the conversation.

* * *

><p>Later that night, Hiei and I were getting ready for bed when Sorin came into the room. He had tears in his eyes which concerned me. I held my arms open for him to run into. He couldn't even tell me what was wrong since he was crying so hard. "Oh Sorin, don't cry," I cooed while rubbing his back. "Please, just calm down and tell me what's wrong."<p>

"I-I'm s-scared," he whimpered. "The storm is scary."

"What storm?" I asked. Not even a second later, there was a flash of lightning and rolling thunder. "Oh…" Sorin shivered in my grip and I looked over to Hiei. He nodded to me knowingly. Sorin really did have some sort or psychic ability.

"You can stay with us, if you want," Hiei offered nonchalantly. Sorin just nodded, eyes still clenched.

I watched as he took Sorin from me and carried him over to the bed. Sorin refused to let go of him. Hiei sighed and got into bed with him. He motioned for me to come to bed, so I shut off the light and cuddled close to the two of them. _My boys._ I saw Hiei playfully glare at me for that thought.

After Sorin fell asleep, I felt Hiei reach over for my hand. "We'll talk to Genkai about it tomorrow," he told me. "Don't worry so much about it. They're just visions."

"I hope so, Hiei," I sighed. "I just hope that he doesn't have any disturbing visions." He nodded in understanding.

"Genkai will train him to control them," Hiei explained. "Probably to the point where he can determine when he wants to see a vision. For now, let's just hope that storms are the worst of his insight."

His words didn't make me feel any better. He too knew of my brother's dream about out mother. Luckily, the young kid hadn't figured out that he had had a premonition. I tried to fall asleep, but I couldn't. I had this unsettling feeling in the pit of my stomach. It didn't help that Hiei was wide awake all night too, just as tense as I was. He didn't truly believe that everything would stay this minor.


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer: I don't own YYH or the characters. Just my OCs.

I decided to write another chapter. And I just noticed that it was chapter 13. Perfect timing for Friday the 13th, my favorite day. It'll probably be longer than I had originally planned because I planned on another happy surprise last chapter. Also, I have a DeviantArt account now, name Firestorm1991 (big surprise XD) and I drew the scene where Hiei pets the dolphin. I'm going to start working on a couple of pictures from this chapter as well :3 I hope you all check them out. My link is on my FF profile.

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><p>A couple of weeks went by and Hiei started working with me on the beach as a lifeguard and volunteering at the rescue center. I assumed it was because he wanted to be there to protect me and our child, but part of me also felt like he did enjoy being around the water. That shocked me more than anything else, even more than Hiei actually agreeing to wear the light blue volunteer shirt.<p>

I continued to do everything, including lifting, at the rescue center. Hiei and I would sometimes argue about it at home. It wasn't really causing problems for us, as he usually let the topic go. He was always worried about me getting too mad at him. He didn't want to ruin our relationship by telling me I wasn't allowed to so something. I met him halfway in that. If something was too heavy for me, I would ask him to take care of it because 'I had something else to take care of.' Today was no different.

"Hiei, could you take care of feeding the animals?" I asked nonchalantly.

He smirked at me. "Why? The bucket too heavy?"

I forcibly rolled my eyes. "No," I replied. "I just need to go through some paperwork for Harumi before Tai and Airi come here with a new admittee."

"Hn, fine," Hiei said in response. I knew he could see right through my ruse, but he never said anything if he did. He let me keep my pride.

I kept flashing glances at him as he took the large bucket of fish around to the pools. He had a faint smile on his face. It distracted me from that fact that Tai had returned with his sister and a sea lion that looked pretty healthy. The sea lion was following Airi into the hospital, but froze when he caught the smell of fish. How did I know this? Well, it kind of decided to assault Hiei for the bucket of fish.

"Gah!" I heard him called out as he hit the ground. I had to put my hands over my mouth to prevent me from laughing. I couldn't believe he didn't sense it coming. I could only watch as the sea lion ate a few pieces of fish before staring down at Hiei, who was gaping at the animal in both confusion and irritation. As if the animal sensed this, he planted a kiss on Hiei's cheek before barking his happy thanks and getting off of him.

"Okay, not gonna lie," Tai stated, "funniest thing I've ever seen."

I just smiled. Sure it was funny, but it still didn't beat the first time I got Hiei into the water with a dolphin. That smile was the first genuine smile I could remember. That day would always hold a special place in my heart.

When Hiei got himself cleaned up, he walked over to me and growled, "Not a word." At that moment, I lost it. I couldn't hold the laughter in anymore. Hiei pretended to be irritated, but I knew he liked it when I laughed. Before he turned away, I saw another smile, like last time.

* * *

><p>On the walk home, I felt at peace. Hiei and I walked side by side, him with his arms crossed and me with mine behind my back. After a while, though, the air felt heavy and everything around us seemed too quiet. My cell rang, and both Hiei and I stopped walking as I answered it.<p>

"Hello?" I answered the unknown caller.

"_Abby_," I heard over the phone. It was Sorin. He must have finished his training session with Genkai for the day. "_Something's going to come after you_." I just looked confused. I looked to Hiei who seemed to have picked up on my brother's voice. He had his katana drawn and was ready to attack anything that came our way.

"Sorin, it's okay," I said comfortingly. "I'm with Hiei. He won't let anything happen to me."

"_Be careful, Abby," _he said in tears. "_I don't want to lose you too."_

He hung up before I could respond. I had no idea that my brother was that afraid to lose anyone else. The strain in his voice nearly broke me. I felt Hiei's hand on my arm bringing me back to reality. "We need to get home now," he stated calmly. I could feel his uneasiness as well as an uncomfortable breeze.

"I don't think so," we heard a voice say. We turned to face the tree across the street and saw some eagle looking thing there. The thing had fangs and looked somewhat human, aside from the wings of course. I looked to Hiei who nodded at my unasked question. We were looking at a demon and he was grinning at us like a sadist. "Hm, I was expecting you to be taller, Hiei," the bird-man said.

"Who the hell are you?" Hiei growled while getting into a defensive position and moving closer to me.

"I was hired by some rebel demons to destroy the old spirit detective gang, which unfortunately includes a couple demons," the demon replied. He seemed to take a whiff of the air around him and smirked. "So, the human is your mate, huh? Interesting choice. You know you pretty much halved your lifespan, right?"

I looked to Hiei in shock. His face remained void of every emotion except for the irritation and anger displayed in his glare. Hiei had never explained to me anything about shortening his lifespan. I would have to ask him later about what else he wasn't telling me about our mating. Now it was time to focus on the demon who was waiting for his response. He didn't answer the bird demon, but he didn't have to. The guy had already known.

The bird-man was getting irritated by Hiei's lack of response. "You know, maybe if I tear your pretty little human to shreds, you'll answer."

Hiei growled. "You even try and I will cut off your precious wings. Maybe a limb or two. Either way, you'll never lay a hand on her." I had never heard Hiei sound that dark before, and it made me a little nervous, but I knew deep down that he wasn't that type of person. I knew he would do anything to protect me and our little one, even if that meant killing another demon, but he would be doing it out of love and not bloodlust.

The bird charged at us and Hiei managed to make a cut on his left wing. The demon shrieked in pain and crashed into the ground. "Damn it!" he shouted before flashing Hiei a glare. "I heard you were fast, but I underestimated you."

"Hn," Hiei replied. "That was a mistake. Never underestimate a demon after you threaten their mate." He turned to me and said, "Look away."

I did as I was told, and the next thing I heard was a bloodcurdling scream. I tensed until I heard nothing else except for Hiei sheathing his sword. I finally relaxed when I felt Hiei's hands stroking my arms. "So it's over?" I asked hopefully.

"No," Hiei responded with honesty. "If someone hired a bounty hunter to come after us, they'll come back with a stronger one."

"Why? Who would come after the spirit detectives?"

Hiei chuckled and started walking us home. "We pissed off a lot of demons, especially the detective. He is the one who convinced both Mukuro and Yomi to agree to hold a tournament to determine Demon World's ruler."

"But that's a good thing, right?" I asked. "Or else you probably wouldn't be able to settle here."

Hiei nodded. "It is what is better. I used to hate humans and caused a lot of trouble here, but I can honestly say that I was wrong to try to destroy the human race. I think, after all these years, I can say that you humans balance us."

"Speaking of balance," I spoke up, "what did that demon mean about shortening your lifespan and why didn't you tell me?"

Hiei sighed. "I did not want you to talk me out of it," he admitted. "If you knew that you would be shortening my lifespan, would you have agreed?"

I frowned. "Probably not."

"Exactly, which is why I didn't say anything," he continued. "It also lengthens your lifespan."

"Does…does that mean that I would outlive my dad and Sorin?" I asked hesitantly.

"Under normal circumstances, yes," Hiei said, confusing me. When he sensed that I was confused, he continued. "By living with you as long as I have, your family has been feeding off of my demonic energy. It's why your brother's abilities are getting stronger. I bet if you were to use your bow, your father would be able to see it. Since they've taken in a lot of energy, I'm predicting that they live about as long as we would." Man, all this demon and energy stuff was confusing and weird. I heard Hiei chuckling, probably hearing my thought on the matter. "I never said it was simple, onna."

"Thank you for protecting me," I said suddenly.

I received no answer at first, but then Hiei said, "I will always protect you. It is my duty as your mate. Besides, I wanted to."

"I know." For the longest time, I could always tell what he wanted.

* * *

><p>I started seeing Hiei less and less after the attack. Most of the time he was training at Genkai's; other times he was doing odd jobs for my father or his friends. I didn't understand why he was working so much, especially since we both made enough lifeguarding to help dad out with the expenses.<p>

"Abby?" I turned to my open door to see Sorin.

"Hey, buddy," I greeted with a smile. "What's up?"

He smiled at me and ran into the room. "Genkai said I could start training my spirit energy to act as a power. Isn't that cool?"

"Yes, sweetie, very cool," I replied. "But what about your visions?"

"Well, I have to keep meditating to focus them more, but I already know how to do that, plus Hiei has already taught me the basics of fighting, so she said it's okay."

It made me feel a lot better knowing that Sorin had been taught to defend himself, even more so than before. With demons running around looking for blood, it would ease my fears knowing that he'd be able to fight back soon too. That's probably why Genkai wanted to start that training right away.

Sorin didn't know about the demon attack. Dad did, though. We told him everything, including the whole lifespan thing. It took him by surprise knowing that he would live longer than a normal human, but he just shrugged it off and smiled. _"That just means more time with my kids and grandkid,_" he had said. He was taking it all surprisingly well. I wondered if that would happen with Yusuke's and Kurama's family too. It also made me think about what would happen when Yukina and Kuwabara mated. I'm sure Hiei wouldn't like to hear me thinking about that, though.

Hiei showed up at the door wearing his usual smirk. Sorin's face lit up when he saw Hiei and of course told him the news. I'm sure Hiei had something to do with Genkai's training regime, but he acted surprised for my brother's benefit. "That's great, kid," Hiei replied patting his head. "Now, I need to talk to your sister."

"Okay!" Sorin said happily before running out of the room.

I was worried that Hiei was going to say something was wrong, but his smirk never left his face. "I would like to take you somewhere," he said.

"Okay?" I replied questioningly. He just chuckled as I let him lead me out of our home.

* * *

><p>I was surprised that he brought us to the pier. The last time we had been here, well, that was the night I came back. Hiei walked over to fence and looked out into the water. "I am not good with words, Abby," he started. Well, that was obvious, but I listened intently. "It was always a weakness to show any emotion other than anger. I changed slightly when Yukina came into my life, but I was far from happy." He turned to face me and my breath hitched. "Then you came along. I never understood what I was feeling around you. All I knew was that I felt lighter whenever I was around you."<p>

I saw him reaching for something in his pocket. It was some sort of necklace that he wouldn't yet let me see. "I was grateful when you agreed to become my mate, even though it was a demon custom and not a human one. Still, I feel like I should give in somewhere." He then showed the necklace to me. It was an Irish symbol, the trinity, a symbol of eternal love. The metal of the triangular part was a light blue, like water; the metal of the circle was red like fire; there was a dark ruby in the middle that reminded me of Hiei's eyes; it was nicely placed on a black chain. "I know it is human custom to give a ring, but this seemed more personal to me. Abeline Doyl, my onna, my mate…will you marry me in your culture as well?"

I nearly stopped breathing when he basically popped the question. He never had to do this. I didn't care if we got married or not. I knew that I was his no matter what. But for him to go through all this trouble…

When I hadn't answered he looked slightly dejected and blushed. He was about to put the necklace back in his pocket, but I grabbed his arm gently and stopped him. "Yes," I whispered. "Of course I will."

His eyes widened, so I could tell my answer surprised him. He snapped out of it when I placed a kiss on his lips. After I pulled away, he smirked at me again and then moved to put the necklace on me. He started kissing me behind my ear as he worked with the chain.

"So this is why you were working so hard?" I asked.

"Yes," he whispered in my ear.

I turned to face him and put my arms around his neck. "Why did you propose here?"

A slight look of guilt flashed in Hiei's eyes. "I wanted you to have a good memory here, despite-"

I cut him off. "I already did have a good memory here." Hiei looked confused and I just smiled. "The first day I saw you, you were standing on this pier." I could tell by the smile on Hiei's face that he remembered that day.

"That is a good one," he stated and he nuzzled his nose in my hair. "Love you, onna."

A few tears of happiness fell and hit his neck. I felt him running his hand through my hair. "I love you too, Hiei, and that won't ever change."

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><p>AN: So lots of happiness in this chapter. As for the stuff I'll be posting on DeviantArt from this chapter, expect the sea lion scene and a drawing of the necklace. They'll probably be up either tomorrow or Sunday. Thanks for reading. Also if anyone does any fan-art for any of my stories, let me know so I can post the links to my profile ^_^ And happy Friday the 13th again. If you have a black kitty, give it a hug for me :3


	14. Chapter 14

Disclaimer: I don't own YYH or the characters. Just my OCs

Okay, so I was able to post those pics I promised last chapter. The links are on my profile down where it says my stories in progress, the sea lion scene and the engagement necklace :3 Anyways, here is another update for everyone. I'm almost done editing all of my stories, so I'll be able to start focusing on WRITING more often XD

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><p>Things started to calm down since the demon attack. After Hiei's proposal things seemed to be very peaceful. We continued to train at Genkai's. My dad even came to watch a few of our training sessions. He could actually keep up with some of their fights, which was impressive for someone who started out with little to no spiritual awareness.<p>

Sorin was getting stronger and could hold his own against Kuwabara. Sometimes Kuwabara went easy on him, but other times he was a little rough, trying to prepare my brother for an actual fight. Hiei rarely sparred with him or me because he was always afraid of hurting us. Still, the others didn't mind giving us a run for our money.

I was thankful, though, that the guys were going easier on me. It was kind of hard to fight, being pregnant and all. I knew that realistically a demon out to get us wouldn't care about hitting me in the stomach, or warn me when they were going to aim there. I knew some moves to prevent something like that, but I prayed it would never come to that anyway.

"Abby?" I looked away from my new journal (well, new at the time) to see my brother standing in the hall of Genkai's temple. We had all been staying there, even Kurama's family, Yusuke's mother and girlfriend, and Kuwabara's sister. They had agreed that it was the safest move for us to lay low.

"Yes, Sorin?" I pressed as he grew quiet and shy.

"I…had another vision," he told me. "About Yukina and Hiei."

"What about them?" I asked patting the seat next to me.

He frowned. "I think someone is going to come after them, someone weak, but very cold and mean. She called him an imiko…what does that even mean?"

I sucked in a breath of air. It was obvious that he had a vision about the glacial lands, but I didn't know what he saw. Both Hiei and Yukina wrote off that place a while ago, hence the reason Yukina was here in the living world and Hiei, well he was here to stay too. "What do you mean that this woman is coming after them?" I questioned trying to get some more information.

"She said she had to take them away because they committed 'disgraceful acts,'" he said with tears in his eyes. "I don't understand."

I pulled him into a hug and put my head on top of his. "I don't either, sweetie, but you don't have to worry. Even if that woman ever does show up, they aren't going anywhere."

"But what did they do wrong?" Sorin asked confused.

"Nothing," I told him. "They did absolutely nothing wrong. Don't ever think for a second that they did." I smiled at him and ran my fingers through his hair. "All they did was fall in love."

"But that's a good thing," Sorin said happily. Then he paused. "Right?"

I chuckled a bit. "Yeah, a very good thing. Don't worry about the vision. Everything is going to be fine. You can go back to sleep knowing that we are all okay."

"Okay, sis," Sorin said in reply. He kissed me cheek and jumped off the couch. "Love you," he whispered before running back to his room.

Hiei, of course, came in right after Sorin left completely aware of the situation. "What do you make of it?" I asked him.

Hiei scoffed. "Must have gotten out in Demon World that I am mated. I don't know how those bitches got word of it or even know who I am, unless someone has been spying on us and knows about us and my sister's infatuation with the fool."

I smiled a little at his remark. "Oh, Hiei, can't you just say that they're in love?" I teased.

He shook his head. "I'm choosing to remain in denial until that moron proposes."

"So all for the human customs now, huh?" I continued to taunt.

Hiei smirked at me. "It will take him a while before he proposes; so until then, the relationship doesn't exist to me."

"Don't tell Yukina that," I scolded. "She really does lo…care about him. I'm sure she wants you to be supportive."

Hiei sighed, walked over to the bed, and sat down. "I am by pretending the relationship doesn't exist. That way I can't kill him if I think something is going on." He had a scowl on his face that just made me start laughing.

"You killing Kuwabara?" I asked while laughing. "Now I know your joking. You wouldn't do that. It would upset Yukina and get everyone mad at you."

He flashed me a deadpanned look, but closed his eyes and shrugged. "Whatever."

I joined him on the bed lying down and pulled him from sitting position into a hug. He slowly slid his arms around my waist and gently hugged me back. "So…are you worried about Sorin's vision?" I asked.

He shook his head and kissed my temple. "I am not afraid of those ice maidens. They can't force us to leave with them, so why be worried? I'm more worried about the demon rebels."

"Have there been any more attacks?"

"A few here and there, but so far only around here. They can't get past the outer walls, though, because of the talismans. Some are weak and are destroyed instantly by the talismans. The ones that are stronger are still a lot weaker than we are. Whoever is running this wants us to take the fight to them, but once they realize that is not happening, they will come at us with full force."

I tensed and clenched onto him tighter as I put one of my hands over my stomach. Hiei sensed my distress and captured my lips with his. It was a short and sweet kiss that made me relax. "Don't be tense," he chided gently. "It's not good for you or the baby."

I sighed. "I know," I replied. "It's just stressful not knowing what is going to happen, and then even more stressful when Sorin ends up telling us another vision that brings more questions than answers. And then he gets scared and I worry; then I think about you fighting other demons and I worry; and then I think about what might happen if I have to fight…and the baby…and I worry."

He nipped my nose and nuzzled against my neck. "Stop worrying. We are prepared to deal with whatever comes our way. It's nothing we haven't done before."

"You don't even know who's after you guys." Hiei started laughing when I said that. "What?" I growled in frustration.

He grinned at me. "We rarely do, and everything turns out fine."

"And how many times has everyone died or almost died?"

He starting running his hand through my hair comfortingly and whispered in my ear, "Nothing is going to take me away from you; I promise."

I clutched onto the necklace he gave me the week before and let out a breath of relief. "Well, you aren't one to make promises so easily, so I trust you to honor this one."

"Always."

Hiei repositioned us so that my back was leaning against him as he rubbed my stomach. _Good night, little one, _I heard him say through telepathy. I smiled as I started drifting off. Hiei never said anything to the baby out loud around the others because Yusuke and Kuwabara had stupidly ridiculed him the one time he did, but he always made sure to communicate his thoughts to our child and it made my heart melt. He cared so much even though he wasn't too sure about the future and being a parent. He still wanted the child to feel loved.

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><p>I woke up late the next morning. Hiei had a habit of not waking me up early anymore, telling me I need to get as much rest as possible. I would have to set him straight when school started up again next week. Stretching and yawning, I got out of bed and walking into the kitchen. Everyone was already up and eating breakfast.<p>

"Good morning, Sea Biscuit," dad greeted. I just smiled and took a seat next to him.

"Hey dad," I replied quietly. He just kissed my forehead and gave me a hug.

Hiei took a seat next to me and held my hand under the table, rubbing it with his thumb. Only my dad saw and I could see him smiling, happy that we were both happy. No one else was the wiser as we all ate in a peaceful silence, minus Yusuke and Kuwabara goofing off. It was interesting that we had all become this big family because Yusuke, Kuwabara, Kurama, and Hiei were spirit detectives. I had to laugh because no one would ever believe something like this were possible, except us of course. We were special.

"So, Abby," Yusuke's girlfriend, Keiko, spoke up grabbing everyone's attention. "Yukina told me that we're gonna have to start doing some wedding planning, huh?" She flashed me a wink, and I smiled and nodded to her.

"Wedding plans?" Yusuke and Kuwabara asked simultaneously.

Yusuke looked at Hiei and let out a laugh and said, "Alright, man. Good job."

Kuwabara looked towards us skeptically. "You proposed?" he asked Hiei.

"Why is that so surprising?" Hiei questioned as he continued to eat. I could tell he was frustrated with the judgment he was getting from his sister's, um, boyfriend.

Then Kuwabara looked at me. "And you said 'yes?'"

Both Hiei and I were glaring at him then. "Yes, I said 'yes.' Why wouldn't I? He's my mate and we're having a child together. What's the big deal?"

"It's not a big deal," Kuwabara's sister, Shizuru replied. "My brother was just surprised, but I'm sure he's happy for you both; aren't you, Kazuma?"

"Huh?" he responded. "Oh, yeah. Really happy for you guys." He laughed nervously catching onto the fact that he was insulting Hiei. He was a little bit more nervous around Hiei ever since it came out that he was Yukina's brother. "So, when's the big day?" he asked in interest.

Hiei was still looking at him like he wanted to kill him, so I squeezed his hand. He looked over to me and his expression softened. "That's what we have to plan," I responded. "Other than you guys, I really don't think we have to invite anyone else, so it'll just be a small wedding. I think that works out better for both of us, right?"

"Hn," Hiei replied with a nod. I smiled and leaned against him. I could see him blushing a bit at the public display of affection, but since no one said anything, he didn't either.

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><p>Breakfast went on in silence before the boys went to go train some more. The girls and I started looking at wedding magazines that Keiko and Shizuru had picked out in town while I was working.<p>

"Do I really have to wear a kimono?" I muttered. "I mean, I know my mom wanted me to have a traditional Japanese wedding, but really?"

"I can't picture Hiei in a kimono either," Keiko said with a laugh.

Side-stepping Keiko's comment, Shizuru said, "That depends. Do YOU want a traditional Japanese wedding?"

I flashed Shizuru a sarcastic look. "Not really. I feel bad thought because mom always wanted me to be more lady-like, a traditional Japanese lady that is."

"Wasn't that just because of the- Ow!" Botan started to say, but received an elbow in the side courtesy of Keiko. She looked at me and saw me frowning with my fists clenched. "I'm sorry, Abby. I shouldn't have mentioned it."

"No, you guys are right," I replied forcing a smile. "It should be something I want. Mom would want me to be happy. That's what she said before she…"

"Damn, what's with the depressing atmosphere?" Yusuke said as he came into the temple. He looked like he had had a heavy workout. He used a towel to wipe the sweat away and got a glass of water. Leaning against the counter, he grinned at us. "I thought weddings were supposed to be a happy occasion."

"Shut up, Yusuke," Keiko chided. I couldn't help but laugh. Keiko flashed me a playful glare. "What are you laughing at?"

"Absolutely nothing," I lied.

"How about you go with Irish traditions?" Yukina asked. "Didn't your dad say that he and your mother were married that way? Plus isn't it similar to the American culture?"

I smiled and took the necklace Hiei gave me in my hands. "Well, it started with and Irish symbol. May as well go all out."

"Well, I'm just gonna head out and let you girls get back to planning," Yusuke said. He was acting really weird, so us girls followed him and hid by the door. "Okay, well, no kimonos, so Kuwabara, pay up. Also, you got lucky dude."

I saw Hiei glare at Yusuke. "Leave them alone," he snapped.

"Okay, okay, jeez," Yusuke whined. "Damn, you can't take a joke."

"I don't care what I'm wearing, as long as I'm with her," he growled. His glare never left his face. "You make me sick."

"So spying on wedding plans," Keiko muttered. "You're an idiot, Yusuke."

"Keiko!" Yusuke gasped. Kuwabara started cracking up while Kurama just chuckled. I saw Hiei smirking at the fearful look on Yusuke's face. I shook my head. Served him right for spying.

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><p>"I meant what I said, you know," Hiei stated later after the girls went to sleep. I was still researching Irish wedding traditions. I knew we'd go with some of the stuff, but other traditions just seemed pointless. I guess it was just because of our personalities that I felt this way, but some of the stuff just didn't seem like us at all.<p>

"I know," I told him. "I appreciate that. So what was that all about earlier?"

Hiei rolled his eyes. "The _children_ were saying that they thought you might go with a Japanese style wedding. I said I didn't care. Kurama mentioned that both involved wear kimonos, so Kuwabara started making jokes and saying he believed you would go with that. Yusuke then said he would bet that you would go with the 'Western' tradition. I said I didn't care again, but Yusuke went in to eavesdrop. Stupid childish antics."

"Well, that's a given," I joked. "They're always childish. But I'm glad you don't mind either way. I may try to incorporate both of them together, for my mom…"

Hiei looked to me with a small frown. I knew he would never forget how distraught I was when my mother had died. "I'm sure she will be there in spirit," Hiei said unsure. I could tell he was still hesitant about talking about her.

I smiled at him and said, "I'm sure yours will too."

He flashed me this unreadable look before taking my computer away from me and kissing me fiercely. I felt relaxed when he did. He pulled away from me and whispered, "You always seem to know the right stuff to say, even if I never wanted to hear it."

I blushed thinking about all of those times before where I had insulted him. Is that what had meant? I didn't have time to ask him before he laid me down against him. "Get some rest, onna. Tomorrow will be a long day for you. Genkai wants you to train in the morning."

I smirked. "Oh joy." I didn't really mind, though. I was getting a little restless.


	15. Chapter 15

Disclaimer: I don't own YYH or the characters. Just my OCs.

Wow, two months? Could that be right? This is my favorite story of mine and it's taken me this long…wow… Anyways, sorry for the wait. Life and school does kind of come first. But I shall make this as long of a chapter as I can to make up for the wait. Thanks for the patience! And, for the first time in this story, a full Hiei POV part :)

*****PLEASE READ*****: I have a friend that has recently gotten into DBZ and she's been working on a Dragon Ball Z/Yu Yu Hakusho crossover called "What you Saiyan?" It's a really good story that I think you would all enjoy so please look it up. Her FF name is **dragoscilvio. **I am also writing the sequel, Tarble in the Family. Hope you enjoy.

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><p>I was exhausted. A couple months had gone by and things were getting more difficult. I had to take a break from working and volunteering now that I was further along in the pregnancy. It was still kind of a hassle going to school from Genkai's too, but thankfully either my dad, Shiori, Kurama, or Shizuru would offer to take me. Hiei came with me on some days; other days he would train and meet up with me later.<p>

I was feeling the effects of the pregnancy. I thankfully hadn't had much morning sickness issues, just the exhaustion and being hungry all the time. With school, though, sometimes I would forget a meal, and then I would never hear the end of it from my mate who would order me to eat extra the next day.

Still, I shouldn't have been this tired. That's why after class, Hiei and I had scheduled and appointment for me with my physician. She would be able to tell us what was going on, or at least I hoped. I could tell that I wasn't the only one worried about it.

I left the science building and sat on the bench waiting for Hiei. He was by my side not even a minute later. "Ready to go?" he asked.

I nodded and stood up, taking he outstretched hand. He was the reassurance that I needed with all of this uncertainty. I only hoped that we would be getting the answers we were hoping for.

Is it weird when an expecting mother feels completely creeped out being in the obstetrician's office? Well, I guess it truly does happen since I wasn't feeling too comfortable there. Hiei didn't seem to share my discomfort, meaning it was just me, but I knew he was at least aware of my feelings. He always was.

When the doctor came in, I relaxed slightly. "How are you feeling today, Miss Doyl?" she asked me.

"I'm fine," I lied. I heard Hiei scoff beside me. He knew what I was really feeling.

"Good. Well then, let's get started with the check up and then you two can be on your way," she said.

"Okay," I agreed. The doctor set up the ultrasound, and Hiei and I were met with the sound of our child's heartbeat. I felt overjoyed, my chest fluttering at the sound, and looked up at Hiei who looked as shocked as I knew he would be. His shock wore off, and then he took my hand and squeezed it gently.

I was expecting a visual, as was the doctor, but nothing appeared on the screen. "Hm," the obstetrician said in confusion, "I can't seem to get the picture working, but this little one has a strong heartbeat, that's for sure."

I smiled when she said that, but I was still a little worried about not being able to see my child. "It's probably hiding," Hiei said seriously. Although he was serious, the doctor laughed it off. I looked over to him strangely. He mentally communicated to me that some demon children could protect themselves before they were born. Apparently this also meant shielding itself from view, but what struck me was that it had a heartbeat. Demons didn't have heartbeats, so how was it possible for the child to shield itself using demon powers? Hiei heard my unasked question and shrugged. Well, at least I knew that our kid was there and had a healthy heartbeat. That was enough for me.

"So, why did you call in to make an appointment so early?" the obstetrician asked me.

"Well," I started, "I've been so incredibly tired lately to the point where I've passed out. My m…fiancé was as concerned as I was about it and we wanted to make sure everything was fine."

She smiled and nodded to the two of us. "Well, it's a good thing you came by. It shows that you're both responsible. Anyways, what I'm thinking this has to do with is the fact that you've lost weight instead of gaining. How frequently have you been eating?"

"Just the normal meals," I told her.

She jotted some stuff in my file and then asked, "And what have you been eating?"

"Um, a lot of vegetables," I said slightly nervously, "and some nuts, protein bars, dairy, tofu…the usual."

She raised her eyebrow at me. "Any type of red meat?"

"Um, no…I'm a vegetarian, why?" I questioned.

"It's nothing, but you blood work last time did hint to you having a low iron count, and this may explain why," she informed me. "I would recommend eating a little more and getting more iron into your diet. The easiest way is by having more red meat, but I can understand if you would rather take supplements."

I was about to agree to the supplements, but Hiei interrupted me. "We'll go with the former," he said. I just flashed him an incredulous look. I couldn't believe he was deciding something like that without letting me speak for myself, but I could tell he wasn't going to leave any room open for argument. I sighed and let the doctor continue the checkup. I would deal with him later.

When we were walking home, I barely said a word to him. He sighed, and I knew he could tell that I was angry with him. "I had my reasons, Abby," he told me. "First, it is possible that you are carrying a demon child, meaning eventually the child will crave meat. It is better to condition you to it now as close to the beginning as we can manage then later, or else your iron level will be the least of our worries."

"I don't even want to know," I finally spoke up on our walk. I couldn't really ignore him after he not only made a good point, but expressed concern for me as well. "So, I guess I need to start a new diet…I'm going to hate this."

Hiei smirked at this and chuckled. "I think you'll change your mind once you taste it. I know for a fact that the detective is dying to make you taste a cheeseburger."

"Oh joy," I muttered before Hiei took my hand again.

"It's only for a few months," he reminded me. "You'll be fine."

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><p>Hiei was right, of course. Yusuke and Kuwabara decided to force-feed me all kinds of meats, and it was definitely getting harder to say I didn't like anything they gave me. I still ate as many vegetables I could get away with, but I had to eat as much red meat as Hiei had told me. He was right again about the baby because as soon as I changed my diet, I wasn't as wiped out by the end of the day and could actually start training a little bit more. That was definitely a good thing, especially when I had a run-in with one of the rebels.<p>

I was walking to the rescue center after class. I told Hiei to meet me there so that we could head home. I just wanted a few minutes by myself to think about wedding plans and everything going on in my life. In hindsight, I should have been prepared for an attack.

"If it isn't the little human girl," I heard someone say from behind me. I froze when I sensed an unfamiliar demonic energy. "Do you know how long I've been waiting for you to go alone somewhere? Must be pretty boring having people around you every minute of the day." He chuckled sinisterly as I turned to face him. He didn't seem so scary with his blue skin and obnoxious horns. Yes, he was a demon, but I couldn't be afraid of him, not when the guys had spent so much time training me.

"Not really," I replied. "I love my friends and I love having them around me. It just shows me that they care."

"Ha," the demon scoffed. "Demons don't care about anything besides themselves. You're mated to one; you should know this. He doesn't care about you. You're only a means for him to reproduce."

I rolled my eyes. Kurama had warned me that if I ever had any run-ins that would probably be the first thing I hear. The rebels wanted to turn humans and demons against each other. Well, that was never going to happen, at least not with me. "Anyway," I said blandly, "if that is true, then why would you come after me? You obviously believe that he has no emotional attachment to me. What do you have to gain from coming after me?"

The demon grinned a sickening grin. "Because, little girl, if I kill you, it will be a blow to the fire demon's pride. By taking away something that is his, he will be enraged and come after us. We're tired of waiting now that the underlings have been killed."

I slightly panicked at this. He wasn't an underling? That was definitely unexpected. Then I remembered what Hiei said.

"_Whoever is running this wants us to take the fight to them, but once they realize that is not happening, they will come at us with full force."_

Why did my mate always have to be right?

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><p>Abby still hadn't arrived at the rescue center and it worried me. She was rarely ever late to anything, especially when it came to showing up at a place she loved at a specific time. With demons running around, we could never be too careful. However, against my better judgment, I allowed her to walk here alone. I should have listened to my instincts.<p>

When I felt the familiar energy of my mate attacking someone with her bow, I knew she was in trouble. Ignoring the worried calls of our boss, I fled the rescue center heading towards her energy. All I could hope was that I wasn't too late.

Thankfully I wasn't. Abby managed to slightly wound the other demon, and she avoided all of his attacks as well. He was by no means a weak demon, but with all of the training she had put herself through, she could handle herself. That did not mean, however, that I would step in.

Abby moved to run towards the demon's unguarded side, but he was able to turn quickly catching her off-guard. His fist was aimed at her stomach, but it never had the chance to hit. I was in front of her in an instant, my blade facing the monster's fist. His blood spattered on both me and Abby, but it didn't matter. He pulled his sliced fist back, screaming in agony. It gave me the time to check Abby for injuries.

"Hiei," she breathed out in relief. I still couldn't get over how calm she could be from my mere presence.

"Are you all right?" I asked her while wiping the blood that splattered on her cheek off.

"Fine," she said with a smile. Then she frowned as she remembered there was still an enemy.

"Stay here," I ordered her. "But take cover."

She nodded and moved behind a tree. I then took my battle stance, ready to face my new opponent.

"I didn't expect you to come," the demon snarled, still trying to deal with the pain. It was obvious that I got his dominant hand.

I just scoffed. "Obviously. Otherwise you wouldn't have gone anywhere near my mate."

"You can drop the sentimentality," the demon said with a chuckle. "I told her the truth, that you are only with her to procreate; though why you chose a human of all things is beyond me."

I glared at him. I hated when others spread lies, especially when it came to how I felt and my mate. Even though I knew Abby wouldn't believe the lies spewed, she didn't need to hear them. I didn't even grace my opponent with a response before I moved to attack him. He hadn't expected me to attack. His attempt to dodge failed as I managed to pierce his heart. His anguished cries rang out and I knew that they would probably haunt Abby forever, but at least I could sleep peacefully that night knowing that she and the baby were safe and no one would take that away from us.

"Can I come out now?" she asked me. I didn't respond, to her surprise. "H-Hiei?"

I quickly appeared in front of her, examining her for any fear or anxiety, stroking her hair with my free hand. I didn't want her to feel those things, never again. Her expression relaxed as she pulled me in for a hug, my sword falling to the ground. I wasn't expecting it, and nearly fell over, but caught myself. Placing my arms around her waist, I rubbed the small of her back comfortingly.

"He didn't hurt me," she told me. I had already known, but I was glad she confirmed it.

"I'm sorry I left you alone," I whispered guiltily.

She frowned at me, and I knew what she was going to say. "It was my choice, not yours, to come alone."

I sighed, knowing that it would be best not to argue and just drop the conversation altogether. I know; it was surprising how unbelievably soft I had become, but when I was with her it didn't matter. When I was with her, I didn't need to be hardened to be strong. Her and our child, they were my strength.

"Let's go home," I suggested. It was getting late, and she had been through more than enough for one day.

She answered me with a yawn. "Sorry," she said shyly. "I guess that fight took more out of me than I thought."

I nodded my approval at her. "You did well. You and the baby deserve some rest."

Her hand was on mine as the two of us started heading to the train station. She would be able to take a short nap before we made it to Genkai's temple. As we travelled, I couldn't help but shake the feeling that the demon rebel knew more about me than any of the others. After all, he had told Abby my true beliefs of a mate from my life before, word for word. I was starting to wonder if my past had any connection with the demon rebel group, and if so, what..?

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><p>AN: And I just made more questions appear than answers. There is a reason for the hints towards a demon child even though there is a heartbeat. I bet no one will be able to guess :) Anyways, please review, and hopefully I can get another chapter out soon. Thanks for reading!


	16. Chapter 16

Disclaimer: I don't own YYH or the characters. Just my OCs.

Tiffany jessi: Thanks, and I really appreciate the review. I will try to draw all the wedding stuff soon.

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><p>Things had been tense after the attack, and Hiei started acting very strange. He had gone out, training longer than usual, and he would come in late when he thought I would be sleeping. For some reason, I felt like he was being more distant, but then when he came into bed, I felt his arms around me and he breath on my neck and I knew everything was okay.<p>

Things were coming together nicely with the wedding plans. It was going to be a combination of Japanese and Irish traditions. The girls and I had been busy with the plans and having specially made kimonos for the girls. The guys were going to be wearing all black, which I knew would make Hiei happy, and I would be wearing a white dress. The veil was going to have Irish lace, as it was common to wear something with the lace on it. Yukina was working on the menu, studying Irish wedding foods for me. It meant so much that she cared so much about this, as much as Hiei and I did.

The ceremony was going to take place at Genkai's since most Japanese ceremonies were at Shinto shrines and private. Koenma, whom I still hadn't met, and Genkai were going to perform the ceremony. We were going with American traditions for that. Both Hiei and I wanted to write our own vows anyways. The ceremony was going to be perfect. We only had a few weeks left to go.

It was a Saturday when the guys, and when I say guys I mean Yusuke and Kuwabara, decided to tease Hiei a bit about the Irish traditions. Apparently they had found the info I had printed out and decided to pick at some of the details.

Hiei had been training outside when the boys went to find him. "Hey, Hiei, you're needed inside," Yusuke had told him.

Hiei sighed. "What are you talking about?" he asked.

"Abby was looking for you," Kuwabara continued. "She's in your room."

Hiei's expression softened as he went inside. They followed him to the room. He was shocked when he saw that it was empty. "What are you-?" he started to asked as Yusuke pushed him into the room and quickly closed the door, somehow locking it from the outside. "What the hell are you doing?" he shouted.

Yusuke and Kuwabara just started laughing. "Oh, you didn't know?" Yusuke taunted. "In the Irish traditions, it's custom for the church to be locked from the inside so that when the guy gets cold feet, he doesn't hightail it out of there. We decided to see how effective it was."

Hiei had been angered by what they did (I know because I not only came across them, but had to hear about it later). So angered that he was about to burn the door down. "I swear, when I get out of here, you two will wish that you never met me," he growled.

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><p>I had been coming up the stairs to go get something from the room when I overheard him yelling at Yusuke and Kuwabara. I walked over to the boys and put my hands on my hips. "What are you two idiots doing and why are you standing outside of our room?" I asked in frustration.<p>

"Um," the both said nervously.

"If you two don't let me out of here this instant-" Hiei started before Yusuke unlocked our door and he and Kuwabara ran away. I went to open the door and saw Hiei fuming, the intent to kill shining in his eyes. I walked over to him and put my arms around his shoulders.

"Take it easy," I said gently. "Don't do anything you'll regret."

Hiei sighed and put his hands on my hips. "If you weren't here right now, those two would be dead," he told me seriously.

"What did they do?" I asked.

Hiei frowned and shook his head. "They told me you wanted to see me, then locked me in here and said they were rehearsing some Irish tradition of locking the church to prevent the man from leaving if he get something called 'cold feet,' whatever that is."

I just rolled my eyes. Their immaturity never ceased to amaze me. "'Cold feet' is another way of saying that the person is afraid to get married. Either the bride or groom can experience it if they are afraid to commit to their significant other. I wasn't even going to mention that tradition because I'm not expecting either of us to run off."

"I'm already committed to you," Hiei reminded me, as if I needed a reminder.

"I know," I whispered moving closer to him. His hands slid around to my back as he started to gently rock me. I just responded by kissing his forehead. I caught his ghost of a smile before we were interrupted.

"Abby, can you help me with my homework?" Sorin asked me, coming into the room with his biology book.

"Sure, sweetie, what's up?" I moved away from Hiei, but squeezed his hand before going over to my brother. "What do you need help with?"

"I am having trouble understanding photosynthesis," he admitted shyly.

I just laughed lightly. "As do we all," I retorted. "With cellular respiration and photosynthesis, there's always one thing us biology people forget on exams."

Sorin smiled at me and I could tell that made him feel a little better. Hiei walked over to my desk and leaned against the wall as I started explaining things to Sorin. For a young kid, he picked up on it really quickly. I hoped that it would help him knowing that he could understand complicated information.

"I just realized something," Hiei said after Sorin had left.

"What is that?" I asked with a raised eyebrow.

He smirked and responded with a chuckle. "My mate is very intelligent." He flashed me a small, yet sincere smile.

I scoffed jokingly and asked, "Was there ever any doubt?"

Hiei didn't respond as he moved behind me. I felt his hands grasp gently onto my shoulders as he started rubbing up and down my arms. He bent down to nip at my mark. "Never," he whispered against my skin.

I leaned back again him, closing my eyes to savor the peace I felt around him. I felt myself getting slightly dizzy, drifting off and I knew my firebug had something to do with it. Lately, when he had felt my energy diminishing, he would use his Jagan to force me to rest. "Not fair, firebug," I said hoarsely.

Hiei chuckled at me and picked me up from my spot on the chair. I was placed in bed, covered by warm blankets. I felt him kiss my forehead before gently kissing my lips. "I'll be back, onna. You need to get some sleep."

"H-Hiei," I stammered a bit before yawning, "I feel like it's all I do right now."

He entwined his fingers in my hair and said gently, "You're carrying a demon child. Your energy leaves you much quicker than if you were having a normal human child. You need more rest than other women would."

"Hiei," I breathed out as I nearly lost consciousness. "If I'm having a demon child, then why was there a heartbeat?" I wasn't answered as I fell into a deep sleep.

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><p>I didn't know how to answer her. I had expected to hear a heartbeat. When demons mated with humans, the blood would be dormant until there was a strong successor, like what happened to Yusuke. It made no sense to me that Abby was suffering all the symptoms of a demon pregnancy while having a human child. All I knew was that I needed to keep her safe and that meant making sure she was resting and eating properly.<p>

I walked down to the kitchen, still pondering what was happening. I knew our child's energy was strong and that was why Abby was affected so much, but nothing else was adding up.

"Brother?" I stopped walking as I heard Yukina call out to me. I turned to face her looking away slightly. Sometimes I was still shy around her, but it was getting better.

"Yes, Yukina?" I asked. She sounded worried, and I didn't like it.

"You seem to be really deep in thought," she answered. "Are you all right?"

My eyes widened slightly, still not used to her, to anyone, showing that much concern for me. "Yes," I replied. "Just thinking about the baby."

Yukina's worry dissipated and she smiled so brightly. "Oh, I know. I'm so excited too. I get to be an aunt."

I couldn't help but return her smile. Part of me was still angry with myself for having believed keeping the truth from her was the best option. Knowing that she knew…what if I had mated earlier and had a child? Then she would have missed out and I would have felt even guiltier. Some days I still believed I was a terrible older brother.

"You know," Yukina said softly, not knowing of my internal battle, "sometimes, when I focus hard enough, I am able to think back to when we were babies. Is that strange?"

"No," I said honestly. "When I we were born I was aware of everything going on around us. I knew what the other ice maidens thought of me and how they separated us."

Yukina frowned when I brought it up, so I stopped talking. "I will never forgive them for keeping us away from each other, but that wasn't what I meant. Honestly, I barely remember any of that. What I was talking about was when we were inside our mother's womb. When I think back as far as I can remember, I don't remember seeing anything or hearing anything, but I remember feeling this warm feeling. I know that presence was you because I have felt it many more times in our life. I always feel safe and protected like I did then. It's just so strange that I can remember that."

I nodded, not knowing what to say. I hadn't expected her to say something like that. I was about to leave the room when I felt her arms around me and her head on my shoulder. "I love you, big brother," she whispered, the sound of hiruiseki stones hitting the floor.

I sighed in slight frustration with myself before turning around to embrace my sister. "Yukina, I am sorry…please, please don't cry."

"Oh Hiei," she chided lightly, "you have nothing to be sorry for. You've done nothing wrong."

I wanted to tell her that she was wrong, that I was the worst person on the planet, but I couldn't bring myself to say those words anymore…not when I had her and Abby and Sorin thinking so much of me. I wanted them to feel that way, even when I did not.

Then, out of nowhere, I thought of something, something Yukina had brought up. "Yukina…when you said that you sensed my presence, what did you mean?"

Yukina's expression softened as she contemplated how to explain a feeling I could not understand. "Well, it was warm and comforting. I felt protected, as I said. The energy was constantly around me, protecting me from, well, everything. I don't remember whatever I would have seen or heard, as if you took all of those memories upon yourself so that I wouldn't have to. I don't know. It's hard to explain."

"Do you remember your own energy? How it felt?" I asked her. I didn't know what I was asking about, honestly. I was just thinking of all these things.

"No, I only remember sensing yours," she told me. "Why?"

"I'm not sure," I admitted. "Anyway, I need to check on Abby. She's resting."

Yukina smiled and nodded. "I really like her."

I smiled a bit at that. "I do too."

I returned upstairs to mine and Abby's room. She was still sleeping peacefully, her energy already returning. She had definitely needed the rest. I walked over to the bed and slipped in with her before taking her in my arms. My hands found their way to her stomach and I started sensing out for our child. I didn't know what I was expecting to find, really. I just knew that it was something important.

The energy was still incredibly strong anywhere I moved my hands, but then I finally sensed a little blip of energy. It was small and faint, fragile. The larger energy was swarmed around it as if to guard it. That's when I knew for sure. What Yukina had said was true. This new bit of information also told me something else. Abby and I weren't just having one child. "Twins," I whispered before drifting off along with my mate. I fell asleep with a smile on my face that night. I couldn't have asked for a better surprise.

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><p>"Why are we doing this again?" Yusuke groaned as he, Kuwabara, Kurama, and the girls were folding many paper cranes.<p>

"Because," Yukina started to explain, "it's a Japanese tradition for their friends to make a thousand paper cranes, for wishing them good luck."

"But we've been at it for weeks and we've only gotten…how many done?" Kuwabara asked.

Sorin was sitting on the arm of a chair next to a big box. He looked at it and said, "If you give me one more now, then five hundred." Kuwabara nearly fainted when he heard that.

"Is anyone else worried about this being a fire hazard?" Yusuke joked earning him a glare from his girlfriend.

"You barely have to do anything, Yusuke, except fold these cranes," she scolded.

"Yeah, but the last time I ever folded paper cranes was in grade school," he complained. "Does it have to be a thousand?"

"Yes," Yukina and Kurama said simultaneously. This tradition and something else were the only aspects of Japanese culture that Abby wanted for her wedding, and so it was very important to them to help her and Hiei out with it.

"Alright, alright," Yusuke surrendered. "Just, I'm going to go make a beer run. It'll be more entertaining then."

"Idiot," Keiko muttered under her breath.

Yusuke went outside Genkai's temple and was about to start making his way down the stair when he heard a rustle in the bushes. He stopped ad turned around, glaring at the spot that had just moved.

"Well, we have a visitor, huh?" he stated blandly. "Whoever you are, you better show yourself."

Yusuke's eyes widened when an old woman he had never seen before came out from the trees. The ex-spirit detective looked at her in confusion. She had demon energy and he wondered why the talismans did not keep her out. "Who are you?" he asked.

"I am here to speak with Yukina," the woman said. She had even sounded old.

"Oh yeah? Well, I'm not into the idea of letting a stranger into our home, so I guess we're at a stalemate. Now answer my question. Who are you?"

"I am the elder from her village," the woman admitted. "She and her brother have both violated our laws. She is with a man and her brother is-"

"Living?" Yusuke finished wryly.

"Yes," the woman replied with authority. "They need to answer for their crimes."

"The hell they do," Yusuke retorted clenching his fists. "Don't think for a second we're just going to let you take them away from us. They are a part of OUR family now, so get the heck out of here, before something gets started here that we would all regret."

"The rebel attacks won't stop until you let me take them," she predicted.

Yusuke just glared at her and shook his head. "I don't take threats lightly, lady," he growled, "especially those against my friends. If you know what's good for you, you will leave and keep your face away from us. I better not find you trespassing here again, got it?"

The woman glared at Yusuke but disappeared with the wind. Yusuke's mouth just dropped down. He didn't go out that night, instead returning to the compound all the while thinking, _what just happened?_ in his head over and over again.


	17. Chapter 17

Disclaimer: I don't own YYH or the characters. Just my OCs.

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><p>When I woke up the morning of our wedding, I felt anxious. I was alone in the bed, wondering where Hiei went. Figuring he was either getting ready, training, or eating, I decided to go to the kitchen to find the girls so we could get this day started. What surprised me was that everyone was at the table, Yukina looking hurt and fearful, Hiei seething, and dad trying to calm Sorin. "Guys," I voiced, "what's going on?"<p>

When Hiei heard my voice, he looked over to me. I could see anger, but mostly, I saw the concern in his eyes. Something was wrong, and I was about to find out.

"An ice maiden showed up here last night," Yusuke reported. "I was leaving the temple, and she pretty much threatened us. Apparently she knows something about the rebel attacks too."

"Why?" I whispered, even though I pretty much knew the answer. _You already know, _Hiei told me in my mind. Well, I kind of asked for that. I decided to ask, "What does that mean?"

"Well," Kurama spoke up, "it means that Genkai's temple is the safest place right now and has been enforced with more talismans, so if you are all still up for it, Koenma and Genkai are still willing to do the ceremony. They also understand if you want to hold off until all of this is settled."

"No," I said. "I'm not letting those people control what we do. Hiei and I are already mated, and I want to marry him despite whatever stupid rules they've deemed that any of us have broken. They're idiots."

"Agreed," Hiei muttered. "Nothing is stopping this day. I don't care about those women. As far as I'm concerned they aren't my people. I'd rather accept the humans as my people than them."

"Me too," Yukina finally said, though her voice was weak.

"Well then, since that's decided, we're going to have to make arrangements afterwards for when any of us have to go into town for work, school, and pretty much everything else, especially you, Abby," Kurama stated. "It's clear you've been their target."

Hiei flashed me an apologetic look, but I didn't blame him at all, and I voiced that through our connection. What Kurama said was making sense. The two times I witnessed one of the rebel attacks, I was on the receiving end. If the ice maidens had something to with the attacks, it would make sense they would go after the pregnant mate of the "forbidden child" they cast out. But what didn't make sense…

"If they hate men so much, why are they working with predominantly male rebels?" I thought it was a pretty good question, especially when Hiei scoffed, mentally agree with me. "It makes no sense."

"They're cowards," Hiei spoke forcefully, his concern disappearing behind his rage. "They wouldn't be able to touch us, so they forego their own beliefs to come after us. They are foolish hypocrites, and if they thing their little scare tactics will work, they won't."

I would have believed Hiei's last statement if Sorin hadn't let out a small whimper. It worried me how he was curled into a little ball on my father's lap. I decided to go over to them and sit down. Sorin instantly threw himself at me, hiding against me. I saw Hiei's expression soften again and sensed that he felt a little bad. He must have thought that he scared Sorin, but I knew that wasn't it.

"How are you handling this?" I asked my dad.

"I have to admit," he said calmly, though I could tell it was a forced calm, "I don't like these women. I have never heard of anything so terrible, that they would attempt to kill their own because of gender and then harass them who knows how many years later…In my mind, Hiei isn't even part of their society anymore. They threw that away when they tossed him aside." I couldn't argue with that.

Nodding, I started rubbing Sorin's head and his grip on me tightened. I was really glad that I wasn't too far along with the pregnancy so that Sorin could still sit on my lap. I rocked him slightly, before gently forcing him to look at me. "And what about you, little man?" I questioned. "Are you okay?"

He shook his head against my chest. "I don't want these visions anymore," he whispered. "I don't like being right. I didn't want that lady to come."

I hugged by brother tighter and cooingly shushed him when he started to cry again. "It's going to be okay, Sorin," I told him. "Don't be upset. Not only will we beat these freaks, but we still have a lot to be happy about today. We still have a wedding to celebrate."

A ghost of a smile found its way to Sorin's face, which was such a relief. He looked up at me and I wiped the remains of his tears from his face. "Good, a smile. That's my little brother," I teased.

Sorin laughed a little before hugging me again. Dad, of course, suggested that he and Sorin get ready for the wedding, leaving me alone with the others to actually get more details. After they left the room, I stood up and walked over to the table, sitting on the other side of Yukina, right next to where Hiei was standing. I noticed a lack of anger from my mate towards Kuwabara who was comfortingly rubbing Yukina's hand.

"So…" I awkwardly started, "what exactly do we have to worry about? I'm sure you guys didn't admit everything to my brother and father."

"You're right," Kurama replied. "And we won't be admitting it to my family either."

"Yeah, the only family member that knows the full story is Shizuru," Kuwabara explained, "and that's only because she would kill me if I didn't tell her. She and Botan are out back with Koenma and Genkai."

"This whole thing is ridiculous," Yusuke muttered bringing our attention to him. "I mean if this bitch had a problem with any of us, she should have just come to us directly. If she's at all responsible for these stupid attacks, she pays too."

"Yusuke," Kurama snapped harshly before casting a worried glance to Yukina.

"It's okay, Kurama," Yukina said softly, though I noticed her squeeze Kuwabara's hand for support. "I stopped seeing them as my people a long time ago. It's why I left and came back here. They are heartless and cruel. The only one who showed any compassion was my mother's friend who told me that my brother had come looking for me."

She looked to Hiei, but he looked down slightly, focusing on a specific spot on the table. I managed to take his hand from under the table. It slightly startled him, but he reciprocated my actions by lacing our fingers together and clutching hard. I felt terrible that he had to deal with his past yet again after we had spent so much time together trying to change his thinking. I was worried it would cause some sort of setback for him, to have those bitter women sending people after him for what they deemed vicious crimes. Seriously, these women had problems.

"We are to move forward with today," Hiei mandated again. "It will set them off, but I don't care. I'm not living my life by their code." He then looked over to Yukina, who met his gaze and said, "Neither of us will."

Yukina finally smiled throughout all of this and nodded. "Right," she chimed happily. Then her face lit up. "We should all get ready for the wedding."

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><p>I was ready before Yukina had even announced it. I wasn't going to let those women control who I was or what I did, not anymore. Abby looked completely enthused about our wedding, more so than she had been. Her defiant nature is what had initially attracted me to her, and now…now she was mine, every part of her, not that I considered her a possession in any way. This wedding was a way to show her that she had me too.<p>

She wasn't scared or worried or even stressed out about the latest news. She didn't care that those bitter women were threatening us and our happiness. No one seemed to care, nor did they blame me for anything. I expected to receive at least some blame, not that I would have cared. I was used to blame after all.

"Come on, firebug," she whispered in my ear before kissing my cheek. "Let's do this. Let's get married."

I chuckled lightly. I swear; I never thought I would ever meet nor have anyone to bring a smile to my face or to make me laugh, unless I was watching the life drain from their eyes or hearing their pained screams. So much about this human changed me and even gave me closure to that life. I now had something to live for, someone actually…multiple someones. It reminded me that I still needed to tell Abby we were having twins.

We left the others behind, silently, returning to our room. I sat down on the bed, watching Abby get her dress box out of the closet as well as my "tux" as she called it. Shopping for that thing was frustrating as hell. I stayed quiet about the matter, though. I wanted her to have what she wanted. I already had everything I could want.

She smiled at me, but I didn't return it. Her face fell slightly though she looked more curious. "What is it?" she asked. She always had some talent in reading me.

I held my hand out to her, which she took without question. Pulling her gently, I forced her to sit on my lap as I inhaled her calming scent. I was never good with words; she knew that. I admitted it to her already. What I had to say, I didn't know how to put it into words. If I could choose, I would just announce it without an emotion, but I felt emotion and she wouldn't appreciate me playing it off.

"Hiei," she said meekly, "you're worrying me. Are you all right? We don't have to do this if you're worried. We can do this at any time."

"Quiet," I ordered in a calm voice. "It's not about the wedding. Of that I am not concerned."

"O…kay? Then what's wrong?"

"Nothing," I answered curtly. "Nothing is wrong, Abby. I just realized something last night. It was after you were asleep."

"Oh, yeah, thanks for bringing that up," she muttered in irritation. I couldn't help but feel a stirring feeling inside me. Even when she was frustrated, she was attractive.

I held back a chuckle, not wanting to waste any more time. "Abby," I tried again, "there's something I have to tell you."

"Do you always have to beat around the bush?" she asked. "Please just be direct this once. We have to get ready."

I sighed when she said that. I had attempted to do this delicately, but I could not go against her request. "We're having twins." I said it plain and simple.

She reacted the way I had expected if I dropped the new on her like that: wide, unblinking eyes staring at the wall, tense form, and lips pursed shut. The news would have to sink in for her. So, all I could do was wait. A few minutes passed, and Abby still wasn't blinking. About five minutes later exactly, she finally spoke.

"Are you serious?" I nodded. "Well, that certainly explains a lot. What does it mean exactly?"

"One child is human, taking after you," I said. "The other one is demon, taking after me. The demon child is shielding the human child from view."

"Oh my God, Hiei!" Abby exclaimed, though she looked more panicked instead of happy like I had expected. "What are we going to do? The doctors are never going to believe I'm having twins. They can't even hear the heartbeat. What do we do when one of them doesn't have a heartbeat?"

"Calm down, onna," I ordered. "We knew this was a possibility going into this. It'll be fine."

She breathed a little heavily for a while, clutching onto me. I patted her back slightly as I felt her starting to relax. Her reaction was not one I had expected having discussed the possibilities of having a demon child before. It was unheard of, except in the detective's case where he was born human. I should have expected as much, though. I took after my father as Yukina did our mother. It must have been something with that ice maiden DNA.

"Hiei?" she called quietly.

"Hm?"

"How are we going to handle this?"

I positioned her so that I was looking into her eyes. "We'll deal with it all as it comes," I told her. "I will be with you when the children are born. The doctors won't do anything. If they try to do anything, they'll have a very pissed off father to deal with."

She laughed at my remarks, which from anyone else I'd see as an insult. No, I was trying to make her laugh. I didn't want her to worry about anything. We had a big day ahead of us after all. "Now," I said with a smirk, "we do have to get ready." I was about to set Abby down, but she clung onto me, refusing to let go. "Abby…"

"Hiei, d-don't leave," she said. It shocked me because I was informed that I wasn't to see her in her dress before the wedding…some western superstition. "I want you to stay with me. Don't leave me."

She was worried; I knew she was. Of course I wouldn't leave her alone to process this information. I didn't care about human traditions much. The wedding was a mash up of all the traditions Abby cared about. If she wanted to break a tradition, I didn't care. All I cared about was her happiness and safety.

"Whatever you say, Abby," I whispered in her ear. "Whatever you say."


	18. Chapter 18

Disclaimer: I don't own YYH or the characters. Just my OCs.

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><p>We had gotten ready quickly, wanting the ceremony to be complete. The sun was still shining outside, a perfect day for an outdoor wedding. Adorned in a plain, white dress with Hiei in his tuxedo, we were ready to go out into the yard. Before exiting the back door, Hiei placed a kiss on my hand and released it. Then the two of us walked out into the yard together where everyone was waiting for us.<p>

I assumed the guy with the pacifier was Koenma, having heard stories from the group and insults from Hiei. Koenma and Genkai were standing directly in front of us. Hiei wouldn't let go of my hand as we walked up to the two.

"So you're Abby," Koenma stated. Hiei scoffed at him, probably because he stated the obvious. Since he was marrying us, I decided not to be my sarcastic self.

"Yes, I am," I replied. "It's good to meet you. Thanks for doing this."

Koenma waved me off, smiling slightly. "It's not that big of a deal, Abby," he told me. "Besides, I'd say you're the one who should be thanked. At least I don't have worry about _someone _causing problems in the Human World anymore, right?"

I saw him and Hiei exchange glances, Koenma's smug and Hiei's highly irritated. "Whatever," my firebug spat. Then he looked to me and spoke more softly. "Are you ready?"

"Um, hell yeah!" I replied enthusiastically, causing the others to laugh. Hiei just smirked at me and turned to face me. I couldn't keep the smile off my face or the shine out of my eyes. Hiei seemed to have similar problems, but I don't think he cared this time around. I couldn't believe that this was really happening, especially since I never expected him to want to marry me in human culture.

"Then let's get this started," Genkai said without her usual snap. "I'm not going through that whole 'we are gathered here today' crap, though." There it was, though it made me smile even more if that was even possible.

"Right," Koenma replied quietly. "Anyways, we are all here because Hiei wishes to marry Miss Doyl here."

"What did you just call me/her?" Hiei and I asked simultaneously, looking at him.

Koenma just laughed a bit. "Was trying to see if you two were paying attention," he replied. "Hiei wishes to marry Abby. Better?"

We both nodded and then resumed looking into one another's eyes. I still didn't know how I could be so lucky to have found my soul mate, despite how cheesy that sounded. It was the truth after all. You can't just meet someone from another dimension and not be entwined in some way. It was unheard of…literally.

"So, you two have written vows," Genkai stated, moving the ceremony along.

"Yeah, sort of," I answered. I hadn't really written anything; I just knew I had a lot to say. It seemed more personal just to wing it. Taking in a deep breath, I readied myself to speak my vow. "Hiei," I started softly, "we had a rocky relationship at the start, but the more time I spent with you I learned that I never wanted to be apart. Any time we were, it pained me because there was no one I could go to or confide in. You were always just…there, for me, even if you didn't realize it.

"I couldn't always see it," I said as her just stared at me with a serious expression, waiting to hear my words, "but I could feel it. I knew that if I was with you, I was safe. You're an honest man, and caring in your own way, and I love you for it. And, as my promise to you, I will do everything in my power to make you feel as safe as you make me feel, no matter what happens in the near future, as your wife and mate."

Hiei nodded, accepting my promise. It was his turn to speak, but he seemed to be biding his time. I couldn't tell if it was because he didn't know what to say or that we surrounded by people he knew very well. After he began to speak, I had the feeling it was the latter. He knew what to say, but I knew it was hard for him to admit it to his friends.

"Love…it was not a concept to me," he started. "The word held no meaning, had no value. Experiencing it was not something that seemed possible for me to do." He paused for a moment before continuing. "I thought I didn't want it, but you helped me see the truth. Abby, you say I'm honest, but you are the honest one. You said things…things I took personally until I realized why it was that I did. I had a mindset that I was not meant to be happy, meant to feel betrayed and unwanted, but it was not the case with you.

"You did want me, and for the life of me, I cannot figure out why." I watched him with concern in my eyes as he began to look distant. The fact that he was baring his soul out to me in front of everyone was surprising as well. I mean, we could have had this talk in private later. "I was cruel, ruthless, a murderer and criminal that got you into trouble on multiple occasions and your brother in trouble at school, and yet you still accepted that part of me." He looked away from me to the ground, his eyes holding slight shame. "I…I never wanted to change that part of myself, but then I saw how my actions could affect those that actually mattered." He looked at me again with an intensity I couldn't describe. "Having never had something that mattered to me before that I could actually affect, I didn't expect that my habits could cause them harm. It made me choose between the past and now. I choose now; the past be damned."

I smiled at him with tears in my eyes while he simply smirked and pulled me closer to him to wipe the offending drops away. Then he pressed his lips to my ear and whispered, "You taught me what love means, and that is not a lesson I will ever toss aside." I couldn't help but laugh in response as more tears fell.

"You tell 'em, Hiei!" Yusuke called responding to Hiei's remark about the past. He was right. Even if the ice maiden that came for Hiei and Yukina hadn't been there, Hiei had told them off. The past no longer mattered. He wasn't that little baby that those ice bitches didn't want. Yukina wasn't trapped in their cold world. They were here, and they were my family. Everyone here had become my family. I liked the sound of that.

Koenma laughed nervously before bringing attention back to the few traditions I wanted in the fairly short ceremony. "So I believe all that's left to do is the rings."

Hiei looked over to Kurama who just tossed him over a small, brown, burlap sack. The fire demon smirked as he gently poured the bag's contents into his hand. There were two rings; one was made of black metal that seemed plain save for black gems surrounding the loop, and the other was golden with red gems. I casted Hiei a questioning glance, but he just chuckled and said, "Perfect. I appreciate it, Kurama."

Koenma's eyes bugged out when he saw the rings. "A-Are those…those are the Ring of Suppression and the Ring of Protection! How did you get those?"

Kurama, Hiei, and even Yusuke laughed at that. "Have you forgotten?" Yusuke asked with a snort. "Ex-thieves, remember? Didn't they break into your vault before?"

It was funny to see this guy fuming, and I laughed, but then I had to ask the question running through my head. "What are the Ring of Suppression and the Ring of Protection?"

While Koenma remained fuming, Hiei took my left hand in his right, his left hand holding both rings. "The Ring of Protection," he started as he slid the gold band onto my ring finger, "will protect you from overwhelming demon youkai should you activate it." He then took my right hand in his, motioning my fingers to take the black band and slowly slide it on his left ring finger. "The Ring of Suppression allows the user to keep their energy at bay when needed. Both bands are rare finds in the Makai, and I asked Kurama to acquire them."

"Why?" I asked, though Hiei only answered through telepathy.

_Where I was gentle during our mating, I cannot promise that will always be the case if my instincts take over, _he explained. _This will ensure your safety._

_Is that why you haven't touched me since you figured out I was pregnant! _I nearly screamed in our heads.

I mentally heard his chuckle. He didn't answer, but I knew it was. He wanted to protect me and the babies even if it meant from himself. Now it seemed we wouldn't have to worry about that. No wonder he told me this privately, or we would have had some comments from the peanut gallery.

Koenma was still irritated, but even if he wasn't saying it, he realized why Hiei needed the bands. He took a deep breath, prepared to say something, but Genkai cut in. "Great, you two are married now. We're done."

Everyone laughed at that except for the flustered Koenma. Hiei was slightly dazed, but I snapped him out of it when I pulled him in for a kiss. He responded willingly, his lips curving into a smile as he kissed me back. And then of course our friends (really Yusuke and Kuwabara) thought it would be great to dump a giant box of those thousand cranes I made them fold on top of us. Despite the shortness and untraditional nature of the ceremony, I couldn't help but feel I made my mother proud. At least now, the focus would be on the babies, and on beating those rebels into the pavement. Well, at least mom wouldn't have been angry at me for that.

* * *

><p>I watched Abby interact with everyone and it felt…warm…like a true home. A home is not something I ever had, other than the demon realm, but I could no longer consider that my home. Everything I had said to Abby was truth; I would not be who I was now had she not seen the worth inside me that I couldn't see. It didn't even bother me that I admitted anything around the others. I trusted them not to bring it up again. Those were words just for Abby, and they knew that.<p>

I didn't want to be apart from her, my instincts pushing me towards her. It couldn't be helped, but first there was the meal my sister worked so hard to prepare. I had no idea what we were eating, but it was good enough for me. Being picky with food wasn't something I could ever truly be while surviving in the Makai. Whatever it was, it was good, but I planned on keeping my thoughts to myself on that.

After the dinner, Abby and I went up to our room, ignoring some of the suggestive remarks from the two "children" downstairs. It didn't matter to me anymore; I had what I wanted and their remarks couldn't touch me. Nothing could affect the way I felt about the mother of my children.

Once in our room, Abby smiled at me and wrapped her arms around me. I didn't need an invitation, though, as I kissed her senseless, smirking when I felt her give into me. That night I made sure she knew what she meant to me, because she would need to know in the months to come. After all, giving birth to a demon child would be hard on her, as well as dealing with the crazy demon rebels. That night I promised her that I would make it my mission to take those cretins down. If I had anything to say about it, she and the twins would stay safe.


	19. Chapter 19

Disclaimer: I don't own YYH or the characters. Only my OCs :) And by this chapter, I think everyone gets that XD

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><p>Hiei and the others had been away for a few weeks, and I was starting to feel the intensity of pregnancy. Between everyone in this house, someone was cooking food to constantly feed me as the demon child continued to suck up my energy. I didn't mind it, though, because that just meant I'd have two healthy children and that was very good news.<p>

I stopped going to my appointments at the OB because she was getting a little too curious about why I looked bigger than I should and why the baby couldn't be seen on film. She wanted to run all sorts of tests and I refused each and every one of them. I wasn't her experiment and neither were my babies. Before we had left last time, Hiei pretty much fired her and said we'd take our chances with hospital doctors. When she tried to get me to tell Hiei off, I told her I agreed with the decision. It didn't matter who helped birth these babies; there would still be a ton of questions when the time came. The biggest one would be why one of them did not have a heartbeat.

After that, about two months into mine and Hiei's marriage, there were threats of attacks on the Human World from the rebels. Sorin had been so worried that something was going to happen to another person he cared about. Thankfully Genkai had helped him control the visions so that he could decide whether or not he wanted to see them. Even Hiei told him not let them pass. They weren't afraid of the future, and he didn't want my brother to be. Since he stopped having visions, Sorin had been a little happier and calmer, but he still had that sense of something foreboding hanging overhead. I only hoped that as he grew older, he would be less afraid like Kuwabara's sister.

The guys had decided to go to Demon World to head off the rebels in case they really were heading for the human world and that had been about a month before this time. I knew Hiei was alright and that the guys were doing fine. Hiei would make sure to let me know through telepathy. He didn't want me to worry.

It was always when I would ask Hiei how long it would be before they were going to come home. He would never answer me at first and would continuously tell me "soon." I didn't know when soon was. I was hoping it would be before I went into labor because I didn't think I could do it without Hiei by my side, especially if the doctors tried to take away one of our children for tests and experiments while I was weak. _Hiei, get home soon._

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><p>I could always hear her mental pleas. She never did a good job of blocking her thoughts. If I could, I would have gone home weeks before, but Kurama had gotten new information on the rebels and their hideout. We had smashed through the first wave that they tried to send to Human World. They were truly pathetic weaklings. Even the fool could handle himself well. That alone raised a red flag. We knew they couldn't be the ones we truly needed to fight.<p>

We had contained a few areas in Demon World with our old allies. Mukuro had been shocked to hear that I had settled down in the human realm and would soon be a father. I was still her heir, but she knew most of my time would be spent in Human World with Abby and the children. She didn't seem to mind it too much. She had always told me that if I wanted to be left alone she would make sure no one could find me. If I had told her what my life had become, maybe some of this would have been prevented.

Don't get me wrong; I wasn't naïve to believe that I wouldn't have been found, but maybe the rebels could have been kept at bay. The ice maiden elder was the one to give away our location. I would always blame her for that and the fact that I was away from Abby now when she needed me there. Still, at least she had her father and brother, and Yukina would make sure that she wasn't in too much pain. I sliced the life out of another demon as I thought of home. I really needed to get back there.

"Okay," Yusuke said, "so these guys were stronger than the other guys so I assume that's the second wave, right?"

"Oh good," Mukuro retorted wryly, "the boy is learning."

"I think we should head of their next group," Kurama suggested. "We still have plenty of energy. The sooner we get through with them, the sooner we can get home." He looked over to me. I knew he wasn't an idiot, so he probably knew I was desperate to get home. It was even showing in my movements. Mukuro pointed it out already. I just wanted to be there.

"Yeah, I know," Yusuke replied. "Being away from the girls is worrying me. I don't know why."

"Me too," Kuwabara admitted. "Wait, does that mean Urameshi is starting to get premonitions?"

"I hope not," Yusuke nearly shrieked. "I mean, I like not knowing what's going to happen."

"Well," Kurama stated, "if two of us are concerned, then maybe we should take out their third wave and then fall back and return home. I'm not leaving the girls' safety up to chance."

"But this is nowhere near their strongest," Yusuke pointed out. "Wouldn't that mean they'll have more?"

"Detective, don't be a fool," I scoffed. "There were significantly less demons in this second wave. Once we see the third, we'll know more. There's a reason why they're rebels and why they haven't gone after you, Mukuro, or Yomi."

"Damn, Hiei…when did you get all diplomatic and strategenic?" Kuwabara remarked.

"Strategic," Kurama correct before taking a sip of water from some canteen. "And Hiei is right. That is another reason why I am saying to take out the third wave. There won't be able to replenish, and then when we come back, we'll deal with the lower numbered higher levels after we've fully rested and trained some more."

"Well then what are we waitin' for?" Yusuke exclaimed jumping up from his spot.

"Yeah, let's get this one back to his mate," Mukuro voiced. I just flashed her a glare, though it was more because I didn't like her teasing me about Abby. I already got that from the "children."

"Let's finish this." I drew my sword once more, ready to take out the third wave. That was the one thing standing in the way of me getting home to my mate and kids.

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><p>Sorin was doing his homework on the floor, lying on his stomach and kicking his legs as he focused. He had gotten taller since Hiei had left and was getting closer to finishing his last year of elementary school. It was decided that he would be enrolled into Meio Middle School for the next school year. Kurama knew the majority of the teachers and staff if not all of them since he had gone there before. It was a highly regarded school in the city, and once this mess was over he'd stay with Kurama and his family until dad, Hiei, and I found a house for all of us. He was so excited and I was so thankful for Shiori mentioning it, especially after the problems that he had in his elementary school. It would be better if he was in a school where the students focused more on grades than picking on the outsider. When the time came, I planned to make sure my kids went to schools affiliated with Meio. They didn't need as much drama as they would have gotten from Sorin's school.<p>

His teacher, at least, was working with us. We had explained that things came up out of town and so his teacher, like before, had been sending us his work and we had been returning it. Dad and I couldn't explain to her that we were trapped somewhere because of demon rebels, so instead we explained that I was going through a really difficult pregnancy and I was in another town trying to hang in there. It was true, mostly, but again she didn't need to know about the demons. At least we had an excuse for why Sorin was absent so much.

"Abby," Sorin asked while writing down the answer to a problem, "when the twins are born, where are we going to keep them? We don't have a crib here."

I chuckled when he asked such an innocent question with such an intense seriousness. "Don't worry, kiddo," I assured him. "First I'll have to recover in the hospital. They'll have a crib there. Until we get home, Hiei said it would be okay if they stayed in bed with us. They won't be going anywhere."

"…Okay," he hesitated.

I sat up straight and looked at him suspiciously. "Sorin," I said with a slightly accusing tone. "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah," he replied unconvincingly. "I just really want to get out of here. I love everyone, but I feel like we're never going home. You won't be able to use my crib; I won't go back to school; Hiei still won't be here; and those people are still going to want him and Yukina."

It had been a while since Sorin had voiced his concerns to me, and he certainly hadn't been talking to dad. Dad would have said something if he had. No, Sorin had been quieter the last few months and since I was so weak and struggling with the pregnancy, I hadn't been around him much to notice. "Come here," I gently order. Sorin got up from the floor and came to sit next to me. I pulled him into a side-hug since I couldn't really pull him close to me. "Everything is going to work out," I told him. "Hiei contacts me every day telepathically to give me updates on the fighting. Everyone is still doing okay and raring to fight more. When they're done with the rebels, we'll be able to return home. Genkai already said she'd give us seals to protect our homes just in case. As for the ice maidens, they can't hurt us. If they could, they wouldn't have bargained with male demons to come after us. They were desperate. Eventually they'll see that they can't touch us and we'll live our life peacefully in a new house close to Auntie Shiori's and things will be fine."

"You promise?" Sorin asked hesitantly staring out into space.

"I promise, Sorin," I answered sincerely. I had no doubt that everything would be fine. I guess that had something to do with how Hiei said we'd handle everything as it came. He was right all the number of times he told me that worrying about things that hadn't happened was pointless.

Sorin continued to do the rest of his homework and finished about an hour later. We then watched a movie that lasted for two more hours. Everyone at Genkai's ate dinner for another hour, and then a few hours later we all went to bed. Why am I going through all of that, you ask? Well, because those hours later I received the best message from my mate out of the blue before my head hit the pillow.

_We're heading home._

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><p>AN: Okay, so I know this was short, but I really wanted to update something now and I feel it worked out well.


	20. Chapter 20

Disclaimer: I don't own YYH or the characters. Just my OC

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><p>The day when and the days following Hiei's return were pure bliss. Don't get me wrong, I still felt lethargic, but it wasn't as bad as being both exhausted and worried every hour of the day. Hiei laughed when I told him that I had been worried, assuring me that there was nothing to worry about. Still, I had been worried about my mate and I was happy to have him home.<p>

I knew it wasn't the end of the rebels, but truth was I didn't care anymore.

It was already winter and the first snow, and I was slightly sad that I couldn't really go to school that semester. I took medical leave to deal with the pregnancy, but once I had the babies I'd go back and finish up my schoolwork. Sorin and Shuuichi were off from school and we were all together at Genkai's. It was nice, being there together, watching the two boys play in the snow. That didn't include the snow fight Yusuke and Kuwabara were having.

Yukina was loving the snow as well, her hanging out with Sorin and Shuuichi as they watched Kuwabara and Yusuke fighting, all of them amused. Hiei and I watched from inside. I had a smile on my face, but Hiei seemed distant, pensive. "Hey, you okay?" I asked softly, rubbing his shoulder.

Hiei looked over to me with a serious look on his face. "The only memories I have of snow are painful ones," he said to me. I was worried that he was going to go down on the path of self-loathing again, but he surprised me. "I'm happy our children do not have to experience the same."

It made me smile, hearing him say that. No, he never had to worry about our kids and his heritage. If we ever decided to tell them, we would make sure they knew that the ice maidens could never hurt us again. As Hiei had said, they were powerless cowards who thought it would be best to go against their own misplaced morals and send male rebels our way. Hypocrites.

And then out of nowhere, I felt a pang shoot through me. It was a strange feeling that made me tense up before I relaxed again. It wasn't painful, but it got my attention. It also got Hiei's attention. He looked over to me as I felt a stronger pang shoot through me. This time, I felt a little bit of pain.

"Hiei," I gasped out, "I think the babies are coming."

As soon as the words were out of my mouth, I was in Hiei's arms and he was carrying me outside wrapped in the blanket I had had wrapped around my shoulders. My dad looked to us with a quirked brown. "What's going on, Sea Biscuit?"

"Babies, coming," I said in almost a whisper as I felt another, what I was assuming to be, contraction.

Well, that brought everyone to reality. Seriously, if we had a pin to drop, that would have been the only sound we heard.

"Good thing we have my car here," Shizuru said nonchalantly breaking the silence.

Hiei was in front of her in an instant. "Take us," he demanded, though not disrespectfully. I could tell that all he wanted was to get me to the hospital safely.

"Let's go," Shizuru replied. Hiei raced down the stairs with me as the three of us made it to the car.

"We'll meet you there, Abby!" I heard Sorin shouting from the stairs. I grinned when I heard my little brother calling out to me. I felt so safe and loved.

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><p>The doctors and nurses did their job well, getting me into a room quickly, thought they were surprised when Hiei said we hadn't needed a wheelchair. He refused to set me down until we were in a private room, which he had demanded, and a bed was available. It was good that there was a private room available. The less people around when I gave birth to a demon child, the better.<p>

Labor pains weren't as bad as I suspected, but I still felt twinges of pain. I knew that it should probably be hurting me worse, but I figured that our little boy was trying to keep me as safe as he had kept his sister. I knew then that I'd have a very loving son.

A doctor came into room and looked at my chart. He did a double take when he saw how large I looked. He probably thought he was birthing a cow. Since the second heartbeat never registered, no one but us and our friends and family knew I was having twins. The doctors would be in for a shock.

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><p>The doctor didn't look competent to me. I was concerned for Abby's wellbeing and the man tried to crack some jokes after introducing himself. His name, I don't remember. I didn't care. I just wanted my mate and children to be safe.<p>

The first birth was the easier of the two. Since the boy child was doing his best to protect both his mother and sister from pain, Abby barely felt it. The only problem was when the doctor moved to clean and check out the baby while Abby was still in labor. They didn't know, so we were about to tell them. Unfortunately for them, they found out on their own.

The baby was cleaned up and given a hat to cover his black tuft of hair, and then the doctor went to check for his heartbeat. I saw his eyes widen. The baby wasn't crying and there wasn't a heartbeat. I knew what he was going to say.

Before he did, the little one opened his eyes, red eyes like mine and Yukina's. This child inherited the most from me. Again, I saw the doctor panic, this time from the fact that a child without a heartbeat was living. He was about to call other doctors in, but something stopped him. My katana to his neck.

"Tell anyone and it will be the last thing you do," I said darkly making him cringe. Nothing was holding me back, not Koenma's laws and certainly not the lack of doctors. Abby seemed to be doing find and had some time to breathe. I could have always called in another one.

"That won't be necessary," the doctor stated. He had no idea what was going on, but he relented. "So I take it the other heartbeat was another child?" I nodded. "Then let's get her through this."

Cleary the doctor cared for his patients. He even tried to console Abby when the full force of the pain washed over her. The boy was protecting her, but now he was out. She could feel the full extent of labor. I didn't like it.

Her screams of pains and heavy breathing concerned me. I was holding her hand, but even her hard grip was not helping her to relieve any pain. She was too far into labor to get medicine for the pain.

"It's okay, Abeline," the doctor said trying to sooth her. "The baby is almost out. You just need one final push."

Abby was so exhausted and overwhelmed. The fact that she was crying was maddening. I guess that was the one bad thing about the other one protecting her. She didn't get a chance to feel the lesser pain to gradually build tolerance. I felt helpless.

_You can do this, _I told her with telepathy.

_No, _she mentally cried. She even sounded weak in her mind. _I can't._

_You can._ I forced the thought into her mind. Then I remembered one of the other Jagan abilities. I forgot I could control the minds of humans, even for a brief second. _I'll help you._

Abby didn't get the chance to ask what I meant as I briefly took over. With whatever energy I had, I forced it into her mind, and when I heard crying I knew my plan had worked.

I let her mind go and snapped back to the scene at hand. Abby was breathing hard, but she seemed very relieved, a smile on her face as she panted. She looked up at me, her eyes lidded with exhaustion.

"Sleep," I told her. "You've earned it."

She chose now to finally listen to me.

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><p>The day went by in a blur. The others had finally gotten to the hospital, but Abby slept through it all. They went to see the babies, the boy who looked so much like me and the girl that had more of Abby's features. Kurama asked me questions on what the doctors knew, so I explained the scene and my death threat. He chuckled, but nodded.<p>

Abby's father questioned me about the delivery and I told him all of it, including the end. I was shocked when the man took ahold of me in his arms. "Thank you," he said confusing me. "Thank you for protecting my daughter." I didn't know it then, but apparently issues like that could be fatal for the mothers to be. I was never more thankful that I had gotten the implant in the first place.

I made my way back to Abby later, the babies with me in a crib with wheels. Well, it wasn't a crib. Kurama called it a "bassinette." What strange words these humans came up with.

When I entered, I found the doctor going over Abby's medical record. I glared at him. There was no doubt that he was trying to find out more information on the hidden heartbeat.

"Eh-hem."

The doctor looked over to me as I cleared my throat. He looked fearful, like I had caught him doing something wrong. Continuing into the room with the babies, my eyes never left him. I knew he could feel my anger when he quickly put all of the documents into the file.

"My threat from earlier still stands," I said curtly getting everything out into the open.

"It is very strange, though," the doctor replied. "What if I had been another doctor?"

"Simple," I responded with nonchalance. "There were other doctors around. If it had been a different doctor who went through with revealing this, I would have killed him."

The doctor paled and I smirked. He squeaked out that there was no need to worry, that our secret was safe. It was then I heard a tired yet amused chuckle and looked to the bed. Abby was staring at me with her shining, violet eyes.

"So," she breathed out, "now that you've officially scarred the doctor for life, what do you want to name the babies?"

Her question caught me by surprise. I had never once thought of what I would want the children. The thieves named me because of my speed, but I was a child when I had gotten the name. Before then I had been "brat" or "kid." I knew they would have to have names, but I had never thought of them. So what did I say instead of this inner tirade?

I shrugged. "It doesn't matter what they're names are. I don't have any preference."

For some reason, it felt like Abby knew, but she didn't say anything. Instead she picked up our son and said, "I like the name Isamu. It suits him well, too, our little warrior."

I smiled when she said that. Of course he would be a warrior. He had me for a father after all.

Then she put him back in the bassinette or whatever those things were called and picked up our sleeping baby girl. She smiled up at me with her face beaming with pride and joy. I found myself curious as to what she was thinking. "I think we should name her Hina," she said softly.

The name rang in my ears, the name of my mother who had loved me and Yukina with her whole heart, the woman who died from emotional suffering at my supposed "death." The name meant so much more to me than I thought it ever could. I took our daughter…Hina…from her mother's arms and held her carefully with one arm as I used the other to pull my mate in for a kiss.

I couldn't ask for anything more than what I have. It was more than I ever thought I would have. It was perfect.

* * *

><p>"Hey, why did you stop reading?" a little girl, age six, asked. She had black hair and violet eyes, like the Abeline.<p>

"Sorry Hina," the little boy, Isamu, said while closing the book. "That's where they left off."

Hina sighed. Every time there parents went on a trip to Demon World, they'd read the journal they left for them. The two children were too young to make the trip along with them. Instead they stayed at their family home, with their grandfather and Uncle Sorin. Their Uncle Kurama would sometimes come with news regarding their parents and their return. They would be returning soon.

"Looks like they'll have to write more," Isamu muttered with a pout. "We got through it much quicker this time."

"It means your reading skills are improving, Isamu," a voice said.

They turned to the hallways stairs and saw their mother standing there. "Mommy!" they both shouted while tackling their mother for a hug. She caught them with ease, holding both of them close to her.

"Hey, I missed you guys," she told them. "Your daddy did too."

"Where is daddy?" Hina asked.

"Behind you."

The two children turned to see their father coming into the house through the hall window. Like they had done with their mother, they had tackled their father for a hug. He let out a small chuckle, mostly because he was happy to be with his family.

"Were you two good for your uncle and grandfather?" he asked with a slightly stern tone to his voice.

"Yeah, we were," they both replied.

Isamu then narrowed his eyes slightly. "You guys need to write more. We got to the end quicker this time. Will you ever just tell us the rest of the story?"

Abby and Hiei grinned at each other, co-conspirators in this story endeavor. It had all started when the children had asked how they met, having been around children who talked a lot about their parents. It had been a complicated story, and at age four they hadn't grasped it well. The barely remembered any details and continued to ask. Abby had had her journal where she had recorded the day Hiei had seen her, and so they added onto that. Every time they left for the Makai, since Hiei still had some ties and duties there, they left the journal out and would add more later.

All that was left to tell was that the rebel groups were easily disbanded. Even the higher level rebels were defeated quickly. After all, there was a reason why they were only rebels and not victors of the Demon World Tournament. They didn't stand a chance.

After that, there was another Demon World Tournament, and the winner this time was Hiei's old confidant, Mukuro. It was a close match between her and the former champion, Enki, that was decided, like the last tournament, by the fights before. It was for this reason she and Hiei went back to Demon World. Hiei explained to Mukuro he would only assist her if she was willing to keep Enki's laws regarding the humans. Apparently Hiei held some weight with her.

"You just have to wait until the next time we leave," Hiei stated with a smirk.

"Aw, dad/daddy," Isamu and Hina whined simultaneously.

Both Hiei and Abby chuckled at their children's antics. "Come on," Abby said coaxing her kids down the stairs. "Let's have a snack and we'll tell you about the trip."

The children didn't need to be told twice. They started to run to the kitchen, but stopped in enough time to see their parents staring lovingly at each other before sneaking a kiss in the hallway. The twins smiled to one another. After reading the love story so many times, they were happy to see their parents together and happy. Their father was right with the last thing he wrote in the journal…it was perfect.

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><p>AN: And this finally marks the end of Just Like You. I've been planning the journal bit for the longest time and I finally got there. I hope you all enjoyed the story. Thanks so much to all of the people who reviewed this story or added it to alerts or favorites. The support was appreciated :3


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